As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on August 9, 2024
Registration No. 333-280836
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Expectation Acquisition Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| British Virgin Islands | 6770 | N/A | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
405 Lexington Avenue
9th Floor,
New York, NY 10174
(917) 970-8910
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Ave., Suite 204
Newark, Delaware 19711
(302) 738-6680
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
| Bill Huo, Esq. Robert C. Brighton, Jr., Esq. Becker & Poliakoff, P.A. 45 Broadway, 17th Floor New York, NY 10006 (212) 599-3322 | Christopher S. Auguste, Esq. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP 1177 Avenue of Americas New York, NY 10036 (212) 715 9100 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this 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 prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS - SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED AUGUST 9, 2024
$60,000,000
Expectation Acquisition Corporation
6,000,000 Units
Expectation Acquisition Corporation is a blank check company incorporated as a British Virgin Islands business company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We will not consider or undertake an initial business combination with any target company the financial statements of which are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) is unable to inspect for two consecutive years.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one ordinary share and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 900,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon the completion of our 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 business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. If we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, which may be accomplished only if the sponsor deposits additional funds into the trust account as described below), 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 (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. However, if we enter into a business combination agreement within 12 months from the closing of this offering (the “Event”), we will be entitled to an automatic 3-month extension, without payment of any extension fee. As a result, we will have 15 months (or up to 24 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. See “Summary — The Offering — Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote” for further discussion on certain limitations on redemption rights.
Our sponsor, Trending Management Corporation, a British Virgin Islands business company, may extend the time frame for the company to complete a business combination from 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) by up to an additional 9 months (for a total period of up to 21 or 24 months). The ability to extend the time frame beyond the initial 12 or 15-month period is contingent upon our sponsor depositing the required amount of funds for each monthly extension. Holders of our securities will not have the right to approve or disapprove any such monthly extension. Further, holders of our securities will not have the right to seek or obtain redemption in connection with any such extension.
Trending Management Corporation, and/or its designees, has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 units (or 238,000 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,200,000 (or $2,380,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering (“private placement units”). Each private placement unit shall consist of one ordinary share and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination.
Members of our management team and our board of directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement units 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. See Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.
As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” each of our sponsor, officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our sponsor, officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) or up to 21 months (or 24 months) from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the founder shares and private placement units may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Further, each of our sponsor, 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.
Although we currently do not have any People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) subsidiary or China operations, most of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China. These ties to China present legal and operational risks to us and our investors, including significant risks related to actions that may be taken by China in the areas of regulatory, liquidity and enforcement, which exist and are independent of the legal and operational risks that ties to China may present in connection with effecting an initial business combination. For example, if these ties were to cause China to view us as subject to their regulatory authority, China could take actions that could materially hinder or prevent our offering of securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. See “Summary – General, --- “Enforcement of Civil Liabilities” and – “Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering” for additional information.
In addition, a majority of our executive officers and directors have ties to China which may make us a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC than a non-PRC related SPAC. As a result, we are more likely to acquire a company based in China in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. In order to reduce or limit such risks, we will not consider or undertake an initial business combination with any company with financial statements audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB has identified in the Determination Report described below or that it has otherwise been unable to inspect for two consecutive years. Due to (i) the risks associated with acquiring and operating a business in the PRC and/or Hong Kong and (ii) the fact that a majority of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, we may be a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China- or non-Hong Kong-based target companies and these issues may also make it more difficult for us to consummate a business combination with a PRC-based or Hong Kong-based target business.
Further, our initial shareholders, including the sponsor, will own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares following this offering. As a result, we may be considered a “foreign person” under rules promulgated by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) and may not be able to complete an initial business combination with a U.S. target company since such initial business combination may be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by a U.S. government entity such as CFIUS, or ultimately prohibited. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited. See “Risk Factors — The fact that our sponsor has substantial ties with a non-U.S. person could impact our ability to complete our initial business combination.”
Any target for a business combination may conduct operations through subsidiaries organized under the laws of the PRC and variable interest entities, or VIEs, in the PRC. VIEs are contractual arrangements and are consolidated for accounting purposes only. The securities offered in this prospectus are securities of a British Virgin Islands company. Thus, investors may never directly hold equity interests in the VIEs after our initial business combination with a target company which conducts its operations through a VIE with a PRC-based company. The VIE structure is used to provide investors with exposure to foreign investment in PRC-based companies where PRC law prohibits or limits direct foreign investment in the operating companies. However, contractual arrangements with the VIEs are not the equivalent of an investment in the VIEs. If we engage in an initial business combination with a PRC-based company which has an arrangement utilizing a VIE, investors of our securities would not be purchasing an equity interest in the VIEs or in the PRC-based company having a VIE contractual arrangement but instead would be purchasing equity interest in a British Virgin Islands holding company. Such VIE arrangement is not identical to owning an equity interest in such entities directly, and instead investors will own shares in a holding company with contracts with the VIEs and will not have any equity ownership of such VIEs themselves. The VIE arrangement may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIEs. Direct ownership would allow us, for example, to directly or indirectly exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the boards of directors, which, in turn, could affect changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations at the management level. However, under the VIE arrangement, as a legal matter, if the VIEs or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the VIE arrangement, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend significant resources to enforce those arrangements and resort to litigation or arbitration and rely on legal remedies under PRC laws. These remedies may include seeking specific performance or injunctive relief and claiming damages, any of which may not be effective. These contractual arrangements with a VIE in the PRC have not been tested in court. In the event we are unable to enforce these VIE Agreements or we experience significant delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing the VIE arrangement, we may not be able to exert effective control over the VIEs and may lose control over the assets owned by the VIEs. Chinese regulatory authorities could disallow this structure in the future, which would likely result in a material change in the operations of the target company and/or material change in the value of our securities, and could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless after our initial business combination with a target company with VIE arrangements. See “Risk Factors” beginning at page 41 under the sub-heading “Risks Related to Acquiring or Operating Businesses in the PRC”.
In the event that we determine to pursue a business combination target company based in China or Hong Kong, we may become subject to legal and operational risks because a majority of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China resulting from Chinese laws and regulations that are sometimes vague and uncertain, and which may therefore, present risks that may result in a material change in the combined company’s principal operations in China, significant depreciation of the value of the combined company’s securities, or which may materially hinder or prevent the offering of securities by the combined company to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. For example, if we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the lack of PCAOB inspection of its auditors or the auditors of the target business. In addition, the combined company may be subject to legal and operational risks associated with having substantially all of its operations in China, including risks related to the legal, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United States, or Chinese or United States regulations, which risks could result in a material change in the combined company’s operations and/or the value of the securities of the combined company.
The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. The PRC government also recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, according to the New Measures (defined below) effective on February 15, 2022, network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cyber security review to the Cyber Security Review Office when they go public abroad, and accordingly these companies may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. If we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and cybersecurity and data privacy. The PRC government may also intervene with or influence the combined company’s operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in China, result in material changes in the combined company’s post-combination operations and cause the value of the combined company’s securities to significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. For a detailed description of risks associated with being based in or acquiring a company that does business in China. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Acquiring or Operating Businesses in the PRC” on page 59.
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong and China. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On December 29, 2022, the President of the United States signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which, among other things, amended the HFCAA to reduce the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer before the Commission must impose an initial trading prohibition on the issuer’s securities from three years to two years. Therefore, once an issuer is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years, the Commission is required under the HCFAA to prohibit the trading of the issuer’s securities on a national securities exchange and in the over-the-counter market. On August 26, 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (the “MOF”), and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Protocol”), taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that PCAOB has secured complete access to inspect and investigate public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and vacated previous determinations to the contrary. However, uncertainties exist with respect to the implementation of this framework and there is no assurance that the PCAOB will be able to execute, in a timely manner, its future inspections and investigations in a manner that satisfies the Protocol. Should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access – in any way and at any point in the future – the Board of PCAOB will act immediately to consider the need to issue a new determination. If it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate our auditor completely, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. Any audit reports not issued by auditors that are completely inspected by the PCAOB, or a lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in China that prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditors’ audits and their quality control procedures, could result in a lack of assurance that our financial statements and disclosures are adequate and accurate, then such lack of inspection could cause our securities to be delisted from the stock exchange. However, our auditor, MaloneBailey, LLP (“MaloneBailey”), is a United States accounting firm based in Houston, Texas and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. MaloneBailey is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations in December 2021. As a special purpose acquisition company, our current business activities only involve preparation of this offering and will involve searching for targets and consummation of a business combination following this offering. Our books and records prior to the consummation of a business combination are maintained by our bookkeeper residing in the United States.
Although we will not consider or undertake an initial business combination with any company the financial statements of which are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in China. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decided to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in China, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection which could result in limitation or restriction to our access to the U.S. capital markets and trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited under the HFCA Act.
We are a blank check company with no subsidiaries and no operations of our own except organizational activities, the preparation of this offering and, following the closing of this offering, searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. If we acquire a company based in China, to the extent that the combined company in the future seeks to fund the business through distribution, dividends or transfer of funds among and between holding company and subsidiaries, any such transfer of funds within and among the subsidiaries will be subject to PRC regulations. Specifically, investment in Chinese companies is governed by the Foreign Investment Law, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China, and any transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries are allowed under and subject to regulations on private lending. As an offshore holding company, if we acquire a target company that operates its business in China, we may use the proceeds of our offshore fund-raising activities to provide loans or make capital contributions to the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company, in each case subject to applicable regulatory requirements. The PRC subsidiaries may pay dividends to us out of their retained earnings, however, we will be subject to restrictions on dividend payments as current PRC regulations permit PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to their parent only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, companies in China are mostly required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Entities in China may also be required to further set aside a portion of their after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not made any dividends or distributions to our shareholders. We do not intend to distribute earnings or settle amounts owed until after the closing of the business combination.
Additionally, the PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. In order for the combined company to pay dividends to its shareholders, the combined company will rely on payments made from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company and the distribution of such payments to the combined company as dividends from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company. If we were to acquire a China-based operating company, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China and the combined company may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from its subsidiaries, if any. See “Prospectus Summary — Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization if We Acquire a Company Based in China (Post-Business Combination)” on page 13 and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Acquiring or Operating Businesses in the PRC — PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in China to utilize their revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment” on page 72.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, ordinary shares, or rights. We have applied to list our units on the NASDAQ Global Market, or NASDAQ, under the symbol “ESPAU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NASDAQ and, if approved, will continue to be listed on NASDAQ after this offering. The ordinary shares and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Lucid Capital Markets, LLC, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the 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 ordinary shares and rights will be listed on NASDAQ under the symbols “ESPA,” and “ESPAR”, respectively.
We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
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 risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 41 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.
| Price to Public | Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) | Proceeds, before expenses, to us | ||||||||||
| Per Unit | $ | 10.00 | $ | 0.45 | $ | 9.55 | ||||||
| Total | $ | 60,000,000 | $ | 2,700,000 | $ | 57,300,000 | ||||||
| (1) | Includes $0.25 per unit, or $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions which will be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions that will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.25 multiplied by the number of public shares sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, $60,000,000 or $69,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per public share), subject to increase of up to an additional $0.033 per public share per month in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination beyond the initial 12 months (or 15 months) period for an additional period of up to 9 months, as described in more detail in this prospectus, will be deposited into a United States-based account established by Vstock Transfer LLC, our transfer agent, and maintained by Wilmington Trust, National Association acting as trustee. 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.
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering. See the section titled “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Securities — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price per unit (adjusted to include the value of the rights) and our net tangible book value per share (“NTBV”), as adjusted to give effect to this offering and assuming the redemption of our public shares at varying levels and the exercise in full and no exercise of the over-allotment option. See the section titled “Dilution” for more information.
| As of May 31, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Offering Price of $9.09 per Unit (adjusted to include the value of the Rights) | 25% of Maximum Redemption | 50% of Maximum Redemption | 75% of Maximum Redemption | Maximum Redemption | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NTBV | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assuming Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | 7.06 | $ | 6.41 | $ | 2.68 | $ | 5.40 | $ | 3.69 | $ | 3.61 | $ | 5.48 | $ | (0.49 | ) | $ | 9.58 | |||||||||||||||
| Assuming No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | 7.06 | $ | 6.42 | $ | 2.67 | $ | 5.41 | $ | 3.68 | $ | 3.61 | $ | 5.48 | $ | (0.51 | ) | $ | 9.60 | |||||||||||||||
Our sponsor and members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and, accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Additionally, each of our sponsor, officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such sponsor, officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. See the sections titled “Proposed Business — Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest” for more information.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about _______, 2024.
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 British Virgin Islands.
Lucid Capital Markets
The date of this prospectus is ___________, 2024
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This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, references to:
| ● | “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association” are to our memorandum and articles of association to be in effect upon completion of this offering; |
| ● | “Companies Act” and the “Insolvency Act” refer to the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 and the Insolvency Act, 2003 of the British Virgin Islands, respectively and in each case as amended |
| ● | “Founder Shares” are to the 1,725,000 ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement purchase prior to this offering, of which 225,000 are subject to forfeiture; |
| ● | “Initial Shareholders” are to the holders of our founder shares prior to this offering; |
| ● | “Letter Agreement” refers to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
| ● | “Management” or our “Management Team” are to our officers and directors; |
| ● | “Ordinary Shares” are to our ordinary shares, no par value, which include the public shares as well as the private placement shares; |
| ● | “Private Placement Rights” are to the rights underlying the private placement units; |
| ● | “Private Placement Shares” are to the ordinary shares underlying the private placement units; |
| ● | “Private Placement Units” are to the units issued to our sponsor and/or its designees in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering; |
| ● | “Public Rights” are to the rights sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or acquired in the open market); |
| ● | “Public Shares” are to our ordinary shares offered as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or acquired thereafter in the open market); |
| ● | “Public Shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares; |
| ● | “Representative” are to Lucid Capital Markets, LLC, as representative of the underwriters; |
| ● | “Rights” are to our rights, which include the public rights as well as the private placement rights to the extent they are no longer held by the initial purchasers of the private placement units or their permitted transferees; |
| ● | “Sponsor” are to Trending Management Corporation, a British Virgin Islands business company. Each of our officers and directors is a shareholder of our sponsor; |
| ● | “we,” “us,” “company,” or “our company” are to Expectation Acquisition Corporation, a British Virgin Islands business company. |
All references in this prospectus to our founder shares being forfeited shall take effect as surrenders for no consideration of such shares as a matter of British Virgin Islands law. Registered trademarks referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners.
1
General
We are a blank check company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and formed for the purpose of acquiring, engaging in a share exchange, share reconstruction and amalgamation with, purchasing all or substantially all of the assets of, entering into contractual arrangements with, or engaging in any other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our business combination. We have not identified any acquisition target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or indirectly, to identify any acquisition target. We have not identified any particular geographical area or country in which we may seek a business combination.
A majority of members of our Board of Directors and management have significant business ties to or are based in, or reside in, the People’s Republic of China. These ties to China present legal and operational risks to us and our investors, including significant risks related to actions that may be taken by China in the areas of regulatory, liquidity and enforcement, which exist and are independent of the legal and operational risks that ties to China may present in connection with effecting an initial business combination. For example, if these ties were to cause China to view us as subject to their regulatory authority, China could take actions that could materially hinder or prevent our offering of securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
In addition, our executive officers’ and directors’ ties to China mean that we are more likely to acquire a company based in China in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination resulting from the application of the laws, regulations and policies of the PRC. We will not consider or undertake a business combination with any target which is audited by any accounting firm which cannot be completely inspected or investigated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”). As more stringent criteria have been imposed by the SEC and the PCAOB recently, our securities may be prohibited from trading if our auditor cannot be fully inspected. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued its determination that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong, because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions, and the PCAOB included in the report of its determination a list of the accounting firms that are headquartered in the PRC or Hong Kong. In the event that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely the auditor of a company we may target for our initial business because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, then such lack of inspection could cause our securities to be delisted from Nasdaq or any other U.S. stock exchange where they are listed. On December 29, 2022, the President of the United States signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which, among other things, amended the HFCAA to reduce the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer before the Commission must impose an initial trading prohibition on the issuer’s securities from three years to two years. Therefore, once an issuer is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years, the Commission is required under the HCFAA to prohibit the trading of the issuer’s securities on a national securities exchange and in the over-the-counter market. If the combined company’s auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the trading of the securities on any U.S. national securities exchanges, as well as any over-the-counter trading in the U.S., will be prohibited. On August 26, 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (the “MOF”), and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Protocol”), taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that PCAOB has secured complete access to inspect and investigate public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and vacated previous determinations to the contrary. However, uncertainties exist with respect to the implementation of this framework and there is no assurance that the PCAOB will be able to execute, in a timely manner, its future inspections and investigations in a manner that satisfies the Protocol. Should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access – in any way and at any point in the future – the Board of PCAOB will act immediately to consider the need to issue a new determination. Any target for a business combination may conduct operations through subsidiaries in the PRC and variable interest entities, or VIEs, in the PRC. VIEs are contractual arrangements and the structure involves unique risks to investors. The VIE structure is used in the PRC to replicate foreign investment in PRC-based companies, when PRC law prohibits or limits direct foreign investment, but it is not actual equity ownership. Because we may not directly hold equity interests in a VIE, we may be subject to risks and uncertainties of the interpretations and applications of PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to, regulatory review of overseas listing of PRC companies through special purpose vehicles and the validity and enforcement of the contractual arrangements among any PRC subsidiary, any VIE, and the owner of any VIE. The VIE structure may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control of an entity. We are also subject to the risks and uncertainties about any future actions of the PRC government in this regard that could disallow the VIE structure, which would likely result in a material change in operations of a target business. See “Risk Factors— Risks Related to Acquiring or Operating Businesses in the PRC” commencing at page 59.
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We do not believe that we are currently required to obtain from PRC authorities permission to operate and issue securities to foreign investors, notwithstanding that a majority of our officers and directors have significant ties with China, and have not sought any permission from PRC authorities to operate and issue securities to foreign investors since our only activity to date is to offer securities outside of China and since we are organized under the laws of the British Virgin Islands and our principal office is located in New York. However, if we are incorrect in our conclusion that such permissions are not required, and China should determine that, notwithstanding the foregoing, we are required to obtain permission to operate and issue securities to foreign investors, or if applicable laws, regulations or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, our ability to issue securities to foreign investors may be materially adversely affected.
Moreover, we may be subject to legal and operational risks because our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, resulting from PRC laws and regulations that are sometimes vague and uncertain, that can change quickly and with little advance notice, including the risk that the PRC government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over our offering of securities overseas and for foreign investment in our company, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus. Any actions taken by the PRC government to exert more oversight and control over our offering of securities overseas and/or foreign investment in us could significantly limit or completely prevent us from offering or continuing to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
In addition, we may become subject to legal and operational risks, in the event that we determine to pursue a business combination with a based in China or Hong Kong, resulting from PRC laws and regulations that are sometimes vague and uncertain, that can change quickly and with little advance notice, including the risk that the PRC government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over our offering of securities overseas and for foreign investment in our company, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus. Any actions taken by the Chinese government to exert more oversight and control over our offering of securities overseas and/or foreign investment in us could significantly limit or completely prevent us from offering or continuing to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
Further, an initial business combination with a company based in China or Hong Kong present risks that also include anti-monopoly regulatory actions, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the lack of PCAOB inspection of its auditors or the auditors of the target business. In addition, the combined company may be subject to other legal and operational risks associated with having substantially all of its operations in the PRC, including risks related to the legal, political and economic policies of the PRC government, the relations between China and the United States, or Chinese or United States regulations, which risks could result in a material change in the combined company’s operations and/or the value of the securities of the combined company.
Recently, the PRC government adopted a series of regulatory actions and issued statements to regulate business operations in China, considering and taking actions on what the PRC deems illegal activities in the securities market, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews and expanding governmental efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. These recently enacted measures, and new measures which may be implemented with little or no notice, could materially and adversely affect the operations of any post business combination company which we may acquire as our initial business combination.
On February 17, 2023, the CSRC released the “Trial Measures for the Administration of the Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Enterprises” and a series of associated regulatory guidelines (together, the “Rules Regarding Overseas Listing”), which became effective on March 31, 2023. The Rules Regarding Overseas Listing require Chinese companies applying to list on overseas exchanges to report and file certain documents with the CSRC within three working days after submitting listing applications and subsequent amendments. In addition, an overseas offering and listing is prohibited under any of the following circumstances: (1) if the intended securities offering and listing is specifically prohibited by national laws and regulations and relevant provisions; (2) if the intended securities offering and listing may endangers national security, as reviewed and determined by competent authorities under the State Council in accordance with law; (3) if, in the past three years, the domestic enterprise or its controlling shareholders or actual controllers have committed corruption, bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of property, or other criminal offenses disruptive to the order of the socialist market economy; (4) if the domestic enterprise is currently under investigation for suspicion of criminal offenses or major violations, and no conclusion has yet been made thereof; or (5) if there are material ownership dispute over the equity held by the controlling shareholders or the other shareholders controlled by the controlling shareholders or actual controllers. The Rules Regarding Overseas Listing define the legal liabilities of breaches such as failure in fulfilling filing obligations or fraudulent filing conducts, imposing a fine between RMB 1 million and RMB 10 million.
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Current foreign exchange and other regulations in the PRC may restrict any PRC subsidiaries in their ability to transfer their net assets to us or other subsidiaries and affiliated entities which might be created or acquired. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of PRC subsidiaries in China may require approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities when Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, if we were to operate subsidiaries in China, we will need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of any PRC subsidiaries to pay off debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi. In addition, the PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. If we acquire a PRC-based or controlled business, such controls under the foreign exchange control system may prevent us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, and we may be unable to transfer cash out of China and pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders. Should we acquire a PRC-based or controlled business, there can be no assurance that the PRC government will not intervene or impose restrictions on our ability to transfer or distribute cash within our organization or to foreign investors, which could result in an inability or prohibition on making transfers or distributions outside of China and may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have not made any distributions of any type to date. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Acquiring or Operating Businesses in the PRC” on page 59.
Business Strategy
Our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to a particular geographic region. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the offering. None of our officers, directors, promoter or other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussion on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential business combination with us. We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry but expect to focus on a target in an industry where we believe our management team and Founder’s expertise will provide us with a competitive advantage.
We will seek to capitalize on the strength of our management team. Our team consists of experienced professionals and senior operating executives. Collectively, our officers and directors have decades of experience in mergers and acquisitions, and operating companies, in Asia. We believe we will benefit from their accomplishments, and specifically their current and recent activities with companies that have a connection to the Asian market, in identifying attractive acquisition opportunities. However, there is no assurance that we will complete a business combination.
We believe that the members of our management team and board of directors have valuable and applicable experiences for sourcing and analyzing potential acquisition candidates across various industries and on an international basis. Our Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Pu has advised parties to initial public offerings and several M&A transactions. Among other experiences relative to sourcing and analysing potential business combination candidates, one of our directors, Mr. Hai Lin, has served as General Manager of Red 13 Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. since January 2015, where Mr. Lin is responsible for project development, execution of mergers & acquisition and corporate finance transactions. Mr. Jun Liu, one of our directors, also served on the board of Longevity Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: LOAC) and Golden Path Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: GPCO), which have successfully completed their De-SPAC transactions. Further, Mr. Ziqiang Zheng, one of our directors, serves on the board of Giant Oak Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company in its initial public offering process, is the co-founder and CEO of MIF China Services Limited and has acted as financial advisor to complete numerous M&A and financing transactions.
4
Investment Criteria
Our management team intends to focus on creating shareholder value by leveraging its experience in the management, operation and financing of businesses to improve the efficiency of operations while implementing strategies to scale revenue organically and/or through acquisitions. We have identified the following general criteria and guidelines, which we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we see justification to do so.
| ● | Middle-Market Growth Business. We will primarily seek to acquire one or more growth businesses with a total enterprise value of between $200,000,000 and $400,000,000. We believe that there are a substantial number of potential target businesses within this valuation range that can benefit from new capital for scalable operations to yield significant revenue and earnings growth. We currently do not intend to acquire either a start-up company (a company that has not yet established commercial operations) or a company with negative cash flow. |
| ● | Strong Management Teams with a Proven Track Record. We intend to seek candidates who have strong management teams with a proven track record of driving revenue growth, enhancing profitability and generating strong free cash flow. We will seek to partner with potential target’s management team and expect that the operating and financial abilities of our management and board will help a potential target company to unlock opportunities for future growth and enhanced profitability. |
| ● | Business with Revenue and Earnings Growth Potential. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential for significant revenue and earnings growth through a combination of both existing and new product development, increased production capacity, expense reduction and synergistic follow-on acquisitions resulting in increased operating leverage. |
| ● | Companies with Potential for Strong Free Cash Flow Generation. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential to generate strong, stable and increasing free cash flow. We intend to focus on one or more businesses that have predictable revenue streams and definable low working capital and capital expenditure requirements. We may also seek to prudently leverage this cash flow in order to enhance shareholder value. |
| ● | Benefit from Being a Public Company. We intend to only acquire a business or businesses that will benefit from being publicly traded and which can effectively utilize access to broader sources of capital and a public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our sponsor and management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a 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 business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent ownership, management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information which will be made available to us.
5
Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets
Our management team has developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships. We believe that the network of contacts and relationships of our management team and our sponsor will provide us with an important source of business combination opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment banking firms, private equity firms, consultants, accounting firms and business enterprises. We are not prohibited from pursuing a business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors.
As more fully discussed in “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-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.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our Board of Directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our Board of Directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and/or private placement units 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 directors and officers presently has, and in the future any of our directors and our officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities
Currently a majority of our senior executive officers and directors either reside within China, are physically there for a significant portion of each year, and/or are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the British Virgin Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws or those of any U.S. state, or whether the courts of the British Virgin Islands or the PRC would entertain original actions brought in the British Virgin Islands or in the United States or any state in the United States against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
6
PRC
The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S.
It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of another country or region to monitor and oversee cross-border securities activities, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the U.S. may not be efficient in the absence of a practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or “Article 177,” which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Article 177 further provides that Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to foreign agencies without prior consent from the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.
Hong Kong
There is also uncertainty as to whether the courts of Hong Kong would (1) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (2) entertain original actions brought in Hong Kong against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
In addition, judgments of United States courts will not be directly enforced in Hong Kong. There are currently no treaties or other arrangements providing for reciprocal enforcement of foreign judgments between Hong Kong and the United States. However, subject to certain conditions, including but not limited to when the judgment is for a definite sum of money in a civil matter and not in respect of taxes, fines, penalties or similar charges, the judgment is final and conclusive rendered by a court with jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter and has not been stayed or satisfied in full, the judgment is from a competent court, the judgment was not obtained by fraud, misrepresentation or mistake nor obtained in proceedings which contravenes the rules of natural justice and the enforcement of the judgment is not contrary to public policy in Hong Kong, Hong Kong courts may accept such judgment obtained from a United States court as a debt due under the rules of common law. However, a separate legal action for debt must be commenced in Hong Kong in order to recover such debt from the judgment debtor.
7
Potential Legal and Operational Risks Associated with Acquiring a Company that does Business in China
Although we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or China operations, a majority of our executive officers and directors are located in, or have significant ties to, China, which may make us a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC than a non-PRC related SPAC. As a result, we are more likely to acquire a company based in China through subsidiaries and VIEs in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. In order to reduce or limit such risks, we will not consider or undertake an initial business combination with any company which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years. Accordingly, this may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in China due in part to PRC laws and regulations against foreign ownership and investment in certain assets and industries, known as restricted industries, including, but not limited to, value added telecommunications services (except for e-commerce, domestic multiparty communications, store-and-forward services and call centers). Further, due to (i) the risks associated with acquiring and operating a business in the PRC and/or Hong Kong and (ii) the fact that a majority of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make a us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China- or non-Hong Kong-based target companies and may also make it more difficult for us to consummate a business combination with a PRC- or Hong Kong-based target business.
In the event that we determine to pursue a business combination target company based in China or Hong Kong, we may become subject to legal and operational risks because our sponsor operates in China and our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China resulting from PRC laws and regulations that are sometimes vague and uncertain, and which may therefore, present risks that may result in a material change in its principal operations in China, significantly depreciation of the value of the combined company’s securities, or materially hinder or prevent the offering of securities by the combined company to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. For example, if we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the potential lack of PCAOB inspection of its auditors or the auditors of the target business. In addition, the combined company may be subject to legal and operational risks associated with having substantially all of its operations in China, including risks related to the legal, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United States, or PRC or United States regulations, which risks could have a material adverse effect on the combined company’s operations and/or the value of the securities of the combined company.
The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company.
The PRC government also recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, according to the New Measures effective on February 15, 2022, network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cyber security review to the Cyber Security Review Office when they go public abroad, and accordingly these companies may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. If we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and cybersecurity and data privacy. The PRC government may also intervene with or influence the combined company’s operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in China, result in material changes in the combined company’s post-combination operations and cause the value of the combined company’s securities to significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors.
8
If we acquire a company based in China, to the extent that the combined company in the future seeks to fund the business through distribution, dividends or transfer of funds among and between holding company and subsidiaries, any such transfer of funds within and among the subsidiaries will be subject to PRC regulations. Specifically, investment in Chinese companies is governed by the Foreign Investment Law, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China, and any transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries are allowed under and subject to regulations on private lending. Additionally, the PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. In order for the combined company to pay dividends to its shareholders, the combined company will rely on payments made from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company and the distribution of such payments to the combined company as dividends from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company. If we are to acquire a China-based operating company, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China and the combined company may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from its subsidiaries, if any.
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that PCAOB has secured complete access to inspect and investigate public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and vacated previous determinations to the contrary. However, uncertainties exist with respect to the implementation of this framework and there is no assurance that the PCAOB will be able to execute, in a timely manner, its future inspections and investigations in a manner that satisfies the Protocol. Should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access – in any way and at any point in the future – the Board of PCAOB will act immediately to consider the need to issue a new determination. Our auditor, MaloneBailey, is a United States accounting firm based in Houston, Texas and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. MaloneBailey is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations. As a special purpose acquisition company, our current business activities only involve preparation of this offering and will involve searching for targets and consummation of a business combination following this offering.
In addition, we will affirmatively exclude any target company the financial statements of which are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB has been unable to inspect for two consecutive years at the time of our business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in China, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection which could result in limitation or restriction to our access to the U.S capital markets and trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited, under the HFCA Act. On December 29, 2022, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which, among other things, amended the HFCAA to reduce the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer before the Commission must impose an initial trading prohibition on the issuer’s securities from three years to two years. Therefore, once an issuer is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years, the Commission is required under the HCFAA to prohibit the trading of the issuer’s securities on a national securities exchange and in the over-the-counter market. If the combined company’s auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the trading of the securities on any U.S. national securities exchanges, as well as any over-the-counter trading in the U.S., will be prohibited.
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Furthermore, there may be difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us based on foreign laws. A majority of our current executive officers and directors are located in, or have significant ties to, China. Also, if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, it is possible that substantially all or a significant portion of combined company’s assets may be located outside of the United States and some of the combined company’s officers and directors may reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process upon these officers and directors who reside outside of the United States. Even with effective service of process, it may also be difficult to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against the officers and directors. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against the officers and directors predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment by us against the officers or directors or the future combined company if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or the public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States. No PRC legal counsel has been retained for purpose of this offering and consequently the company did not rely on the advice of PRC counsel. The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we begin our business combination process with a China-based target, we expect to retain a PRC legal counsel who will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the enforceability of civil liabilities and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s assessment above. Furthermore, there would be added costs and issues with bringing an original action in foreign courts against the combined company or the officers and directors to enforce liabilities based upon the U.S. Federal securities laws, and they still may be fruitless.
Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering or a Business Combination
Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering
Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the rules and regulations listed above from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company, given that: (a) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules; and (b) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in the British Virgin Islands rather than in China, and currently, the company conducts no business in China.
We do not believe that we require any approval from PRC governmental authorities for this offering, including, but not limited to, those permission requirements of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”), notwithstanding that a majority of our officers and directors have significant ties to China. Accordingly, we have not applied for (or been denied) any permissions by any PRC governmental authorities. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we may face approval delays, adverse actions, or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.
However, there can be no assurance that the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as us, or that the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities would not promulgate new rules or new interpretations of current rules which would require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we may face approval delays, adverse actions, or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.
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In any such event, complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules and any required approval processes with PRC governmental authorities could be time-consuming and may delay this offering or a potential business combination. These governmental authorities may impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as significantly limit or significantly hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless, if we fail to comply with the above-mentioned regulations or other relevant rules. No PRC legal counsel has been retained for purpose of this offering and consequently the company did not rely on the advice of PRC counsel. The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in China regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering and a potential business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.
Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the Business Combination
We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Though we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or China operations, we may consummate our initial business combination with a target with principal operations in China (excluding any target company the financial statements of which are audited by an accounting firm identified by the PCAOB in the Determination Report, or that the PCAOB has been unable to inspect for two consecutive years and be subject to certain legal and operational risks associated with its operations in the PRC.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”), adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006, and amended in 2009, require an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The scope of the M&A Rules covers two types of transactions: (a) equity deals where the acquisition by a foreign investor, i.e., the offshore special purpose vehicle, of equity in a “PRC domestic company,” and (b) asset deals where the acquisition by an offshore special purpose vehicle of the assets of a “PRC domestic company.” Neither the equity deals or the asset deals will be involved in our business combination process with a China-based target for the reason that the offshore special purpose vehicle of such China-based target directly holds shares through the wholly foreign owned enterprise(s) or WFOE, which are established by means of direct investment rather than by equity deals or asset deals under the M&A Rules. To date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a China-based entity as part of the business combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. As a result, based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices, the CSRC’s approval under the M&A Rules will not be required in the context of our business combination with a China-based target. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules to offshore special purpose vehicles and the above analysis are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementation and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from CSRC in order for us to complete a business combination with a China-based target pursuant to the M&A Rules. If we are required to obtain such approvals, we cannot assure we will be able to receive them in a timely manner, or at all.
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In addition, on December 24, 2021, the CSRC released for public comments Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) and Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft Rules”). The Draft Rules, if declared into effect, will implement a new regulatory framework requiring Chinese businesses to file with CSRC when pursuing overseas listings. The Draft Rules propose a new filing system for all Chinese companies (including the VIE-structured companies) that are pursuing listings outside mainland China. An overseas listing is required to be filed with CSRC within three working days (i) following the submission of IPO application in the case of an IPO (or similar application in the case of a dual listing on another market), or (ii) following the submission of offering/registration applications (or following the first announcement of the transaction, as applicable) in the case of a SPAC listing or “back-door” listing. It is our management’s understanding that the Draft Rules, if enacted as it is, will subject a China-based target to the new filing system if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with such target. The China-based target and the combined company may be subject to additional compliance requirements in the future if a final rule is adopted with material changes from the Draft Rules. Though we believe that none of the situations that would clearly prohibit overseas listing and offering applies to us, we cannot assure you that we will be able to receive clearance of such filing requirements in a timely manner, or at all.
On December 27, 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission (the “NDRC”) and the Ministry of Commerce (the “MOFCOM”) promulgated Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2021 Version), effective as of January 1, 2022 (the “Negative List”). Compared to the previous version, there are no specific industries added to the list but, for the first time, it declares China’s jurisdiction over (and detailed regulatory requirements on) overseas listings made by Chinese businesses in the so-called “Prohibited Industries.” According to Article 6 of the Negative List, domestic enterprises engaging in businesses in which foreign investment is prohibited shall obtain approval from the relevant authorities before offering and listing their shares on an overseas stock exchange. In addition, certain foreign investors shall not be involved in the operation or management of the relevant enterprise, and shareholding percentage restrictions under relevant domestic securities investment management regulations shall apply to such foreign investors. The intended scope of such jurisdiction was further clarified by NDRC officials on a press conference held on January 18, 2022.
On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law (the “Opinions”), which call for strengthened regulation over illegal securities activities and supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies and propose to take effective measures, such as promoting the development of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies.
Uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules could be interpreted or implemented in the future, and the Opinions stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules.
Furthermore, pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”). In April 2020, the CAC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which requires that operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. On January 4, 2022, the CAC, in conjunction with 12 other government departments issued the New Measures for Cybersecurity Review (the “New Measures”). The New Measures amends the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (Draft Revision for Comments) (the “Draft Measures”) released on July 10, 2021 and came into effect on February 15, 2022. The New Measures include data processing activities of network platform operators that affect or may affect national security into cybersecurity review and clarify that network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cybersecurity review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad. The PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021, imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals that carry out data activities, provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Personal Information Protection Law (the “PIPL”), which is to take effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL sets out the regulatory framework for the handling and protection of personal information and the transmission of personal information overseas. If our potential future target business in China involves collecting and retaining internal or customer data, it is our management’s understanding that such target business might be subject to the relevant cybersecurity laws and regulations, including the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PIPL as discussed above, and that such target business needs to go through the cybersecurity review process before effecting a business combination if it is deemed as a critical information infrastructure operator purchasing internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, a network platform operator that affect or may affect national security, or a network platform operator with personal information of more than one million users. Since the New Measures are new, the implementation and interpretation thereof are not yet clear.
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No PRC legal counsel has been retained for purpose of this offering and consequently the company did not rely on the advice of PRC counsel. The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we engage in our business combination process with a China-based target, we expect to retain legal experts in the PRC and the U.S. that are experienced with structuring offshore transactions with U.S. public companies. Additionally, we expect that the PRC legal expert will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the business combination and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s assessment above. We plan to consult with PRC government officials when possible to assist us with complying with these structuring considerations and changing developments.
Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in China (Post-Business Combination)
We are a blank check company with no subsidiaries and no operations of our own except organizational activities, the preparation of this offering and, following the closing of this offering, searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. As of the date of this prospectus, no transfers, dividends, or distribution have been made by us.
If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company whose securities will be listed on a U.S. stock exchange may make capital contributions or extend loans to its PRC subsidiaries through intermediate holding companies subject to compliance with relevant PRC foreign exchange control regulations. After the business combination, the combined company’s ability to pay dividends, if any, to the shareholders and to service any debt it may incur will depend upon dividends paid by its PRC subsidiaries. Under PRC laws and regulations, PRC companies are subject to certain restrictions with respect to paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets to offshore entities. In particular, under the current PRC laws and regulations, dividends may be paid only out of distributable profits. Distributable profits are the net profit as determined under Chinese accounting standards and regulations, less any recovery of accumulated losses and appropriations to statutory and other reserves required to be made. A PRC company is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year to fund certain statutory reserve funds (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of its registered capital). As a result, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries may not have sufficient distributable profits to pay dividends to the combined company. Furthermore, if certain procedural requirements are satisfied, the payment in foreign currencies on current account items, including profit distributions and trade and service related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approval from State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”) or its local branches. However, where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses, such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies, approval from or registration with competent government authorities or its authorized banks is required.
The PRC government may take measures at its discretion from time to time to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account or capital account transactions. If the foreign exchange control regulations prevent the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy their foreign currency demands, the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company may not be able to pay dividends or repay loans in foreign currencies to their offshore intermediary holding companies and ultimately to the combined company. We cannot assure you that new regulations or policies will not be promulgated in the future, which may further restrict the remittance of Renminbi into or out of the PRC. We cannot assure you, in light of the restrictions in place, or any amendment to be made from time to time, that the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will be able to satisfy their respective payment obligations that are denominated in foreign currencies, including the remittance of dividends outside of the PRC.
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Furthermore, the transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries are subject to the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Private Lending Cases (2020 Revision, the “Provisions on Private Lending Cases”), which was issued by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China on August 25, 2015 and amended on August 19, 2020 and December 29, 2020, respectively, to regulate the financing activities between natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organizations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases do not apply to the disputes arising from relevant financial services such as loan disbursement by financial institutions and their branches established upon approval by the financial regulatory authorities to engage in lending business. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that private lending contracts will be deemed invalid under the circumstance that (i) the lender swindles loans from financial institutions for relending; (ii) the lender relends the funds obtained by means of a loan from another profit-making legal person, raising funds from its employees, or illegally taking deposits from the public; (iii) the lender who has not obtained the lending qualification according to the law lends money to any unspecified object of the society for the purpose of making profits; (iv) the lender lends funds to a borrower when the lender knows or should have known that the borrower intended to use the borrowed funds for illegal or criminal purposes; (v) the lending is violations of public orders or good morals; or (vi) the lending violates mandatory provisions of laws or administrative regulations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that the People’s Court shall support the interest rates not exceeding four times of the market interest rate quoted for one-year loan at the time the private lending contracts were entered into. It is our management’s understanding that the Provisions on Private Lending Cases does not prohibit using cash generated from one subsidiary to fund another subsidiary’s operations. We have not been notified of any other restriction which could limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to transfer cash between subsidiaries.
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 units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, 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.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under the law of the British Virgin Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. 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.
We will have 12 months from the closing of this offering (or 15 months if the Event has occurred) to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 or 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to nine (9) times, each by an additional one month (for a total of up to 21 months (or 24 months if the Event has occurred) to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us, Wilmington Trust National Association and Vstock Transfer LLC on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, in order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $200,000, or $230,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share (for an aggregate of 9 months), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each extension. In connection with any possible business combination, we may require that the target (or affiliates of any such target) provide an advance of funds (whether as a loan or other arrangement) to pay for any additional extension costs. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor five days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for us to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had 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, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and 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 British Virgin Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the rights will be worthless.
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Our sponsor may extend the time frame by the company to complete a business combination beyond the initial 12- or 15-month period, up to an additional nine (9) months to complete a business combination by depositing the required amount of funds for each monthly extension. Holders of our securities will not have the right to approve or disapprove any such monthly extension. Further, holders of our securities will not have the right to seek or obtain redemption in connection with any extension of the time frame to complete a business combination.
Any such payments from our sponsor to extend the time frame would be made in the form of a loan from our sponsor to the company. The final and definitive terms of the loan in connection with any such loans have not yet been negotiated, but any such loan would be interest free and not repaid unless and until we complete a business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would expect to repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us or from funds which may be raised in any subsequent capital financing transaction which may be undertaken in connection with the completion of a business combination.
The NASDAQ 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 balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) 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, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. If we are delisted from NASDAQ prior to completion of the business combination, the NASDAQ 80% requirement would no longer be applicable.
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 equity interests or a portion of the assets of the target business or businesses. We may acquire a business line, division or subsidiary or stand-alone assets that could allow us to constitute an operating business. The determination of whether or not to acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets will be dependent upon numerous factors, including satisfaction of certain objectives of the target management team or target’s shareholders, the costs of any such proposed acquisition, our ability to constitute a viable business from any such assets, legal issues involving assignments of contracts or intellectual property assets, or for other reasons, many of which we cannot determine at this time and will be contingent upon negotiations with prospective targets. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete a business combination for equity interests if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target or in the event of an Assets Acquisition, an Acquisition which results in an operating business line, sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. In considering an asset transaction, we would acquire such assets only if we could constitute from such assets a stand-alone operating business. 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 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 valued for purposes of the 80% of Nasdaq net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business or assets from different business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or completing the business combination 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 company that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that the consideration to be paid by us in 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.
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement units 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. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event has occurred) or up to 21 months (or 24 months, if the Event has occured) from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the founder shares and private placement units may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. 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, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. 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 initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
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.
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The sponsor
The sponsor is Trending Management Corporation, a British Virgin Islands business company. Although each of our officers and directors is a shareholder of our sponsor; only our Chairman, Wanjiao Pu, has voting securities in our sponsor and is the sole director of our sponsor and has the power to vote or dispose of the securities.
On May 24, 2024, we entered into a subscription agreement, pursuant to which 1,725,000 founder shares were issued to the sponsor (up to 225,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). Thus, such parties may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if such parties had paid the full offering price for their founder shares.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
| Entity/Individual | Amount of Compensation to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Consideration Paid or to be Paid | ||||
| Trending Management Corporation | 1,725,000 Ordinary Shares | $ | 25,000 | |||
| 220,000 Private Placement Units | $ | 2,200,000 | ||||
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the rights included in the units. See the section titled “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Securities — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
Pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered with us, each of our sponsor, directors and officers has agreed to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement units, as summarized in the table below.
| Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Natural Persons and Entities Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | |||
| Founder Shares | The founder shares will be released from the lockup (A) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of (i) six months after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (B) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the completion of our initial business combination; or in either case, earlier if after the completion of our initial business combination we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. | Trending Management Corporation
Wanjiao Pu
Chi Zhuang
Ziqiang Zheng
Jun Liu
Hai Lin
| Transfers of the founder shares, private placement units and ordinary shares issued or issuable upon conversion of the private placement units and that are held by the sponsor, officers and directors are permitted (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of the sponsor, or any affiliates of the sponsor; (b) in the case of an individual, transfers by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family, to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, transfers by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) 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; (f) transfers in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of an initial business combination; (g) transfers by virtue of the laws of the British Virgin Islands or the sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization 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 subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination; and (i) transfers in connection with our initial business combination with our consent to any third party; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e), (h) and (i), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by the restrictions herein. | |||
| Private Placement Units | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination | Same as above |
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Each of our directors, director nominees and officers 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. 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 duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Notwithstanding our founder’s and management team’s past experiences, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) that we will provide an attractive return to our shareholders from any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the members of our management team or the sponsor or their respective affiliates or any related investment’s performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Each of our officers and directors may become an officer or director of another special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities intended to be registered under the Exchange Act, even before we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and see “Risk Factors.”
Private Placements
Effective March 31, 2021, Greenland Asset Management Corporation, our former sponsor, purchased an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. On January 17, 2022, our former sponsor and the Company entered into an Amended Securities Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the 1,437,500 founder shares were canceled and 2,875,000 founder shares were issued to our former sponsor. On May 24, 2024, the Company and our former sponsor entered into Securities Repurchase Agreement, pursuant to which the Company purchased back all the 2,875,000 founder shares for $25,000 and cancelled such founder shares. On May 24, 2024, Trending Management Corporation, our new sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Up to 225,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 units (or 238,000 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,200,000 (or $2,380,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit shall consist of one ordinary share and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination. Subject to certain limited exceptions, our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private units and underlying ordinary shares until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, 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.
The founder shares are identical to the ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering. However, our initial shareholders have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with us (A) to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased in or after this offering (to the extent permitted under applicable securities laws and the limitations described in this prospectus) in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (C) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the timeframe set forth therein or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (D) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 or 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 or 24 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).
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Subject to certain limited exceptions, our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of its founder shares until the earlier of (i) six (6) months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination. The remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six (6) months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, 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.
Corporate Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c)in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
We are a British Virgin Islands business company incorporated on May 11, 2018. Our executive offices are located at 405 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York, NY 10174, and our telephone number is (917) 970 8910.
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THE OFFERING
In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 41 of this prospectus.
| Securities offered | 6,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: | |||
| ● | one ordinary share; and | |||
| ● | one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination. | |||
| Proposed NASDAQ symbols | Units: “ESPAU”
Ordinary shares: “ESPA”
Rights: “ESPAR” | |||
Trading commencement and separation of ordinary shares and rights.
The units will begin trading promptly after the date of this prospectus. The ordinary shares and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Lucid Capital Markets, the representative of the underwriters, 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 ordinary shares and rights 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 ordinary shares and rights. | ||||
| Separate trading of the ordinary shares and rights is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K | In no event will the ordinary shares and rights be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. 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 | 0 | |||
| Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement | 6,220,000(1) | |||
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| Ordinary shares: | ||
| Number issued and outstanding before this offering | 1,725,000(2) | |
| Number issued and outstanding after this offering and the private placement | 7,720,000(1),(3) | |
| Rights: | ||
| Number outstanding before this offering | 0 | |
| Number of rights to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement | 6,220,000(1) |
| (1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 225,000 founder shares. | |
| (2) | Consists solely of founder shares and includes up to 225,000 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Except as otherwise specified, the rest of this prospectus has been drafted to give effect to the full forfeiture of these 225,000 ordinary shares. | |
| (3) | Includes 6,000,000 public shares, 220,000 private placement shares and 1,500,000 Founder Shares. |
| Terms of the rights | Each holder of a right will receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination. In the event we will not be the survivor upon completion of our initial business combination, each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the 1/10 share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the business combination. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds for their rights and the rights will expire worthless. It is not our intent to issue fractional shares upon conversion of any rights. Any rounding down and extinguishment may be done with or without any in lieu cash payment or other compensation being made to the holder of the relevant rights. |
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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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event has occurred), we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to nine (9) times, each by an additional one (1) month (for a total of up to 21 months (or 24 months) to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us, Wilmington Trust, National Association and Vstock Transfer LLC on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, in order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $200,000, or $230,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share (representing the entire 9 months’ extension), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each extension. Unlike many other SPAC offerings, investors in our company holding our ordinary shares will not have the right to approve any extension or seek or obtain redemption of their ordinary shares. Any such funds from our sponsor or its designees or affiliates used to pay for the extensions would be made in the form of a loan. The terms of any note issued in connection with any such loans have not yet been negotiated, but such loans would be interest free and would be paid only if we consummate a business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Alternatively, such loans may be repaid from funds which may be raised in any subsequent capital financing transaction which may be undertaken in connection with the completion of a business combination, or we may require that any potential business combination target provide us with a loan or advance. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans or advances. 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 and have waived any claims against the trust account. 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. | |
| Founder shares | Effective March 31, 2021, Greenland Asset Management Corporation, our former sponsor, purchased an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our former sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. On January 17, 2022, our former sponsor and the Company entered into an Amended Securities Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the 1,437,500 founder shares were canceled and 2,875,000 founder shares were issued to our former sponsor. On May 24, 2024, the Company and our former sponsor entered into a Securities Repurchase Agreement, pursuant to which the Company purchased back all the 2,875,000 founder shares for $25,000 and cancelled such founder shares. On May 24, 2024, our new sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Our sponsor will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering, and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private placement units). Up to 225,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
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| The founder shares are identical to the ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: | ||||
| ● | 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the timeframe set forth therein or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 or 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 or 24 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) (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, our sponsor has agreed, pursuant to such letter agreement, to vote their founder shares, private placement shares 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 shareholder’s founder shares, we would need only 2,140,001, or approximately 35.7%, of the 6,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are eligible to vote and 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 certain registration rights to provide for the resale of such shares under the Securities Act. | |||
| Transfer restrictions on founder shares | Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of its founder shares until the earlier of (i) six (6) months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination. The remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six (6) months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, 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 (except as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”). We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. | |||
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| Private placement units | Our sponsor, Trending Management Corporation, a British Virgin Islands business company, and/or its affiliates or designees, have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 units (or 238,000 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,200,000 (or $2,380,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. | |
| Each private placement unit shall consist of one ordinary share and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination. | ||
| Transfer restrictions on private placement units | The private placement units (including the underlying securities) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | |
| Proceeds to be held in trust account | The rules of the NASDAQ 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 we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, $60,000,000 ($10.00 per public share plus a portion of the Sponsor’ private placement purchase), or $69,000,000 ($10.00 per public share plus a portion of the Sponsor’s private placement purchase) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.30 per public share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time for the entire nine (9) months to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), will be deposited by our transfer agent, Vstock Transfer LLC into a segregated trust account located in the United States with Wilmington Trust, National Association acting as trustee and $500,000 will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. |
| Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the private placement will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 or 24 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) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 or 24 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), 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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| Anticipated expenses and funding sources | Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $3,198,000 of interest annually (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option and an interest rate of 5.33% per year) following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: | |||
| ● | the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $500,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $500,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and | |||
| ● | 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 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 a business combination. | |||
| 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 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 balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Although we have had no discussions with any potential targets, we do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. In the event that NASDAQ were to delist our securities prior to us completing a business combination, we would not be subject to the 80% standard. | |||
| If our Board of Directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the 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. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. | ||||
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| Permitted purchases of public shares 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, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. There is no limit on the number of shares such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. | |
Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates are under no obligation or duty to do so and they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
In the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares 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. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary. | ||
| We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will not make any purchases if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of 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. To the extent that any public shares are purchased, such public shares will be voted as required by Tender Offers and Schedules Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations Question 166.01 promulgated by the SEC. Further, 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. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination. |
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| Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. | |
| The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.30 per public share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). 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 upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our rights. 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. | ||
| Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a 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 the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under NASDAQ rules, asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval 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 such rules. | |
If a shareholder vote is not required 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 Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and | |||
| ● | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. | |||
| Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. | ||||
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| 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 a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination or if we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). 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. | ||||
| If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will: | ||||
| ● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and | |||
| ● | file proxy materials with the SEC. | |||
| We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public 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. 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. | ||||
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering, and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 prior to or upon such consummation or if we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, if a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. | ||||
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| 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination, unless we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not otherwise subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), and that, solely if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an 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 retained by us for other general corporate purposes following completion of the business combination 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 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 ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. Alternatively, in order to ensure that we have at least $5,000,001 in assets as required under Rule 419 of the Securities Act, or to otherwise satisfy our capital needs in connection with a business combination, we may seek to source and complete third-party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. | ||
| 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 (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. | |
| Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote | Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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. 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 sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public 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 or our sponsor or its affiliates 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 sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers and directors have, pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, waived their right to have any founder shares or public shares held by them redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. Unless any of our other affiliates acquires founder shares through a permitted transfer from an initial shareholder, and thereby becomes subject to the letter agreement, no such affiliate is subject to this waiver. However, to the extent any such affiliate acquires public shares in this offering or thereafter through open market purchases, it would be a public shareholder and subject to the 15% limitation in connection with any such redemption right. |
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| 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 charter which prohibits the amendment of certain charter provisions. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections to our ordinary shareholders prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares attending and voting on such amendment. Our sponsor, which will beneficially own approximately 22.28% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and taking into account ownership of the private placement units), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement (which may also be amended by a majority of the votes of the ordinary shares) and will have the discretion to vote in any manner it chooses. 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 (i) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 or 24 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) or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. |
| Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination | On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us, other than funds the trustee will use to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination.” We will use the remaining funds 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. |
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| Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed that we will have only 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 or 24 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 complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 12-month or 15 month (or up to 21-month or 24-month) 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ 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 our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under British Virgin 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 rights, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 12-month or 15-month (or up to 21-month or 24-month) time period. |
| 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 their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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). However, if our sponsor acquires 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 allotted 12-month or 15-month (or up to 21-month or 24-month) time frame. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. |
| Our sponsor, officers, 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 (i) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and 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 unless we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, we will require that a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. |
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| Limited payments to insiders | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: | |||
| ● | repayment of an aggregate of up to $500,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; | |||
| ● | payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services; | |||
| ● | reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and | |||
| ● | repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor 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 been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). |
| These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith or any subsequent financing transaction which may be undertaken in connection with completion of a business combination. | ||
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. | ||
Audit committee | Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee (which 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 immediately 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.” |
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| Conflicts of interest | Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future any of our directors and our officers may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination. | |
Our sponsor, officers or directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our executive officers and our directors may have interests that differ from you in connection with the business combination, including the fact that they may lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, 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.
Additionally, the personal and financial interests of our directors and executive 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 executive officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and executive 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.
In addition to the above, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including selecting a business combination target and monitoring the related due diligence. See “Risk Factors — Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.” |
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| Additionally, our sponsor and executive officers and directors 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. Further, our sponsor and executive officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the 12 month or 15 month (or up to 21-month or 24-month) time frame from the closing of this offering or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement units may expire worthless. | ||
| With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until six months after the completion of our initial business combination. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement units and the ordinary shares underlying such units, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and executive officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and units following this offering, our executive 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 because of their financial interest in completing an initial business combination within the 12 month or 15 month (or up to 21-month or 24-month) time period from the closing of this offering or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve. |
| Indemnity | Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (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 to pay taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their 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 obligations. |
Risks
We were incorporated in 2018 under the Companies Act and have conducted no operations other than our initial capitalization and have generated no revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
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SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section title “Risk Factors,” that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect our ability to effect a business combination, and may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
General Risks to Investing in a SPAC entity and Completing a Business Combination
| ● | We are an early stage company with no operating history or revenues and, accordingly, you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective; | |
| ● | Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination: | |
| ● | If we are unable to consummate our business combination but our sponsor elects to extend the time frame, our public shareholders may be forced to wait more than 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (up to 21 months or 24 months) before receiving distributions from the trust account; | |
| ● | Our sponsor has the right to extend the time frame we have to consummate our business combination, without providing our shareholders with redemption rights; | |
| ● | Our sponsor may decide not to extend the time frame we have to consummate our 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 held by investors will be worthless; | |
| ● | 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 COVID-19 outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets; | |
| ● | Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our 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 business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines; | |
| ● | We have a limited time frame to complete a business combination, and therefore potential targets may have leverage over us to negotiate the terms of any potential transaction; | |
| ● | We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our executive officers, directors or insiders, which may raise potential conflicts of interest; | |
| ● | Our insiders, officers and directors, will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a shareholder vote; and | |
| ● | If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our business combination. | |
| ● | We may not be able to complete an initial business combination with a U.S. target company since such initial business combination may be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by a U.S. government entity such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), or ultimately prohibited. | |
| ● | Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations. | |
| ● | If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. |
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Risks to investors related to a majority of our executive officers and directors being located in or having significant ties to China
Although we have determined that the laws and regulations of the PRC as currently interpreted do not currently apply to us solely because a majority of our executive officers have significant ties to China and /or are located in China, if we are mistaken about their application or if the current interpretation by China should change, we and our investors may be subject to the following risks:
| ● | the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, may not reach the same conclusion as us about the application of current PRC laws and regulations, or that the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities would not promulgate new rules or new interpretations of current rules which would require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering and if the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities; | |
| ● | uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations and changes in policies, rules, and regulations in China, which may be quick with little advance notice, could limit the legal protection available to our shareholders and us; and | |
| ● | any actions by the Chinese government, including any regulatory or other action or decision to intervene or influence our operations or to exert control over any offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may result in a material change to our operations, affect the liquidity of our securities by limiting or completely preventing us from offering or continue to offer securities to investors, including pursuant to this prospectus, and may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. |
See also the discussion in this prospectus under “Potential Impact of PRC Laws and Regulations”; and in the “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Acquiring or Operating Businesses in the PRC”.
In addition, independent of whether we engage in an initial business combination with a target company based in or with significant operations in China or Hong Kong, there exists risks relating to our sponsor, executive officers and directors having significant ties and/or being located in China or Hong Kong related to enforcement of civil liabilities and legal and regulatory issues relating to the operation of our business. See “General – Enforcement of Civil Liabilities” and – “Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering.”
Risks Related to Doing Business in the PRC if we were to acquire a Business based in or controlled by PRC Residents
If we acquire a business based in or controlled by PRC residents, we may be subject to the following risks:
| ● | changes in China’s economic, political, or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations; | |
| ● | uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations and changes in policies, rules, and regulations in China, which may be quick with little advance notice, could limit the legal protection available to our shareholders and us; | |
| ● | if we were to acquire a business based in the PRC, you may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments, or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the prospectus based on foreign laws. It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China; | |
| ● | any actions by the Chinese government, including any decision to intervene or influence the operations of any PRC subsidiary or to exert control over any offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may cause us to make material changes to the operations of any PRC subsidiary, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless; |
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| ● | PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or any future PRC subsidiary to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into any future PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to increase its registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us; | |
| ● | there are significant uncertainties under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of any future PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by any future PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefit; | |
| ● | under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment; and |
Risk Related 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 or reduce protections under NASDAQ rules available to them. | |
| ● | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies; | |
| ● | We may issue additional ordinary or preference shares to complete our business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our business combination. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks; | |
| ● | 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; | |
| ● | The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline. | |
| ● | If we do not complete a business combination, our public shareholders may be limited to receiving only the pro rata portion held in trust and any rights will be worthless; and | |
| ● | We have a limited time frame to complete a business combination, and therefore potential targets may have leverage over us to negotiate the terms of any potential transaction. |
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States
| ● | Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and provisions of British Virgin Islands law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management; | |
| ● | We may undertake a business combination with a foreign entity, and therefore investors may have limited ability to enforce their rights or have substantial or material impact on our operations following a business combination; | |
| ● | Corporate governance standards in foreign countries may not be as strict or developed as in the United States and such weakness may hide issues and operational practices that are detrimental to a target business; and | |
| ● | If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights. |
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Dilution
The difference between the public offering price per unit and the NTBV per ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. NTBV per share is determined by dividing our NTBV, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding ordinary shares. See the section “Dilution.”
The below calculations (A) assume that (i) no ordinary shares are issued to shareholders of a potential business combination target as consideration or issuable by a post-business combination company, for instance under an equity or employee share purchase plan, (ii) no ordinary shares and convertible equity or debt securities are issued in connection with additional financing that we may seek in connection with an initial business combination, and (iii) no working capital loans are converted into private placement units, as further described in this prospectus, and (B) assume the issuance of 6,000,000 ordinary shares (or 6,900,000 ordinary shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and 1,725,000 founder shares (up to 225,000 of which are assumed to be forfeited in the scenario in which the over-allotment option is not exercised in full). Such calculations include additional dilution associated with the conversion of the rights, as set forth in the below table. Further, the issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares may significantly dilute the equity interest of public shareholders.
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price per unit (adjusted to include the value of the rights) and our NTBV per share, as adjusted to give effect to this offering and assuming redemption of our public shares at varying levels and the full exercise and no exercise of the over-allotment option:
| As of May 31, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offering (adjusted to include the value of the Rights) | 25% of Maximum Redemption | 50% of Maximum Redemption | 75% of Maximum Redemption | Maximum Redemption | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NTBV | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assuming Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | 7.06 | $ | 6.41 | $ | 2.68 | $ | 5.40 | $ | 3.69 | $ | 3.61 | $ | 5.48 | $ | (0.49 | ) | $ | 9.58 | |||||||||||||||
| Assuming No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | 7.06 | $ | 6.42 | $ | 2.67 | $ | 5.41 | $ | 3.68 | $ | 3.61 | $ | 5.48 | $ | (0.51 | ) | $ | 9.60 | |||||||||||||||
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For each of the redemption scenarios above, the NTBV was calculated as follows:
| As of May 31, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25% of Maximum Redemption | 50% of Maximum Redemption | 75% of Maximum Redemption | 100% of Maximum Redemption | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No Over- Allotment | Full Over- Allotment | No Over- Allotment | Full Over- Allotment | No Over- Allotment | Full Over- Allotment | No Over- Allotment | Full Over- Allotment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Public offering price | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | ||||||||||||||||
| Net tangible book value deficit before this offering | (0.14 | ) | (0.14 | ) | (0.14 | ) | (0.14 | ) | (0.14 | ) | (0.14 | ) | (0.14 | ) | (0.14 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Increase (decrease) attributable to public shareholders | $ | 6.55 | 6.56 | 5.54 | 5.55 | 3.75 | 3.75 | (0.35 | ) | (0.37 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering | $ | 6.41 | 6.42 | 5.40 | 5.41 | 3.61 | 3.61 | (0.49 | ) | (0.51 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Dilution to public shareholders | $ | 2.68 | 2.67 | 3.69 | 3.68 | 5.48 | 5.48 | 9.58 | 9.60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| % Dilution to public shareholders | 29.48 | % | 29.37 | % | 40.59 | % | 40.48 | % | 60.29 | % | 60.29 | % | 105.39 | % | 105.61 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net tangible book value deficit before this offering | $ | (232,908 | ) | (232,908 | ) | (232,908 | ) | (232,908 | ) | (232,908 | ) | (232,908 | ) | (232,908 | ) | (232,908 | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Net proceeds from this offering and the sale of private placement units(1) | $ | 60,500,000 | 60,500,000 | 60,500,000 | 60,500,000 | 60,500,000 | 60,500,000 | 60,500,000 | 60,500,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plus: Offering costs accrued for or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | $ | 90,828 | 90,828 | 90,828 | 90,828 | 90,828 | 90,828 | 90,828 | 90,828 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Less: Deferred underwriting commission(2) | $ | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,500,000 | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Less: Redemptions | $ | (15,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 43,857,920 | 50,382,920 | 28,857,920 | 33,132,920 | 13,857,920 | 15,882,920 | (1,142,080 | ) | (1,367,080 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | (225,000 | ) | (225,000 | ) | (225,000 | ) | (225,000 | ) | (225,000 | ) | (225,000 | ) | (225,000 | ) | (225,000 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Ordinary shares offered | 6,842,000 | 7,851,800 | 6,842,000 | 7,851,800 | 6,842,000 | 7,851,800 | 6,842,000 | 7,851,800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Less: Ordinary shares redeemed | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,725,000 | ) | (3,000,000 | ) | (3,450,000 | ) | (4,500,000 | ) | (5,175,000 | ) | (6,000,000 | ) | (6,900,000 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 6,842,000 | 7,851,800 | 5,342,000 | 6,126,800 | 3,842,000 | 4,401,800 | 2,342,000 | 2,676,800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of approximately $500,000 and underwriting commissions of $1,200,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,380,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised) excluding the deferred underwriting fees. See “Use of Proceeds.” |
| (2) | Upon the consummation of our initial business combination, $0.25 per unit on all units sold ($1,500,000 in the aggregate or up to $1,725,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be payable to Lucid Capital Markets LLC for deferred underwriting commissions. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriter. |
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Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| May 31, 2023 | May 31, 2024 | |||||||||||
| Actual | Actual | As Adjusted(1) | ||||||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||||||
| Working capital (deficit) | $ | (170,364 | ) | $ | (232,908 | ) | $ | 58,857,920 | ||||
| Total assets | 91,815 | 94,211 | 60,357,920 | |||||||||
| Total liabilities | 171,351 | 236,291 | 1,500,000 | (2) | ||||||||
| Value of ordinary shares subject to possible redemption/tender(3) | - | - | 60,000,000 | |||||||||
| Shareholders’ deficit(4) | (79,536 | ) | (142,080 | ) | (1,142,080 | ) | ||||||
| (1) | Includes the $2,200,000 we will receive from the sale of the private units. |
| (2) | The “as adjusted” total liabilities represent up to $1,500,000 of deferred underwriting discounts and commissions that would be payable if the maximum number of shareholders redeem their shares. On March 31, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the former Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000 (the “First Promissory Note”). On December 28, 2021, the Company amended the First Promissory Note to extend the due date to the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering. On May 24, 2024, the former Sponsor assigned all the rights and obligations under the First Promissory Note to our Sponsor. On May 24, 2024, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $500,000 (the “Second Promissory Note”). In connection with the assignment, the existing Sponsor paid to the former Sponsor the principal amount outstanding under the First Promissory Note as of the date of the assignment, the First Promissory Note was cancelled, and such amount was deemed a draw under the Second Promissory Note. The actual liabilities of $213,262 on May 31, 2024, represent a related party loan from Trending Management Corporation, which will be repaid using the proceeds received from the offering on the date the offering is consummated. The up to $1,500,000 of deferred underwriting discounts ($0.25 per unit with respect to investors introduced by the Underwriters) is not due until an initial business combination is consummated, for which we have until 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (or up to an additional 9 months up to a total 21 or 24 months if we extend such period as described in more detail in this prospectus) from the closing of this offering to consummate. |
| (3) | The “as adjusted” value of ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash equals the “as adjusted” total assets of $60,357,920 less the “as adjusted” total liabilities of $1,500,000 less the “as adjusted” shareholders’ deficit of $1,142,080. The amount represents net proceeds to be held in the trust account related to this offering. The ordinary shares offered to the public contain redemption rights that make them redeemable by our public shareholders. Accordingly, they are classified within temporary equity in accordance with the guidance provided in ASC 480-10-S99-3A and will be subsequently credited at the redemption value. |
| (4) | Excludes 6,000,000 ordinary shares purchased in our initial public offering 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). |
The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.
The “as adjusted” working capital amount includes the “as adjusted” total assets of $60,365,949 less the “as adjusted” total liabilities of $1,500,000.
The “as adjusted” total assets amount includes the $60,000,000 to be held in the trust account, plus $500,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $142,080 of net book value of the shareholder’s deficit on May 31, 2024. If our initial business combination is not consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public shareholders (subject to our obligations under the British Virgin Islands law to provide for claims of creditors). Any additional offering costs will also be charged to additional paid-in capital.
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation or if we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, only if a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the 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.
General Risks to Investing in a SPAC entity and Completing a Business Combination
We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We were incorporated in 2018 under the Companies Act and to date, other than our initial capitalization, have had no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies 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 target companies to demand improved financial terms.
Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account.
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We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our directors and officers 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.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
The fact that our sponsor has substantial ties with a non-U.S. person could impact our ability to complete our initial business combination.
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination with a U.S. target company since such initial business combination may be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by a U.S. government agency such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), or ultimately prohibited.
Our sponsor has substantial ties with non-U.S. persons. Our sponsor will own approximately 22.28% of the outstanding shares of us after we complete the initial public offering (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment, it does not purchase units in this offering and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). Certain federally licensed businesses in the United States, such as broadcasters and airlines, may be subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership. In addition, CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States by foreign persons in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. Because we may be considered a “foreign person” under such rules and regulations, any proposed business combination between us and a U.S. business engaged in a regulated industry or which may affect national security, we could be subject to such foreign ownership restrictions and/or CFIUS review. The scope of CFIUS review was expanded by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) to include certain non-passive, non-controlling investments in sensitive U.S. businesses and certain acquisitions of real estate even with no underlying U.S. business. FIRRMA, and subsequent implementing regulations that are now in force, also subject certain categories of investments to mandatory filings. If our initial business combination with any potential target company falls within the scope of foreign ownership restrictions, we may be unable to consummate a business combination with such business. In addition, if our business combination falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may be required to make a mandatory filing or determine to submit a voluntary notice to CFIUS, or to proceed with the initial business combination without notifying CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the initial business combination. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our initial business combination, impose conditions to mitigate national security concerns with respect to such initial business combination or order us to divest all or a portion of a U.S. business of the combined company if we had proceeded without first obtaining CFIUS clearance.
Moreover, the process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we have only a limited time to complete its initial business combination 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs), or up to 21 or 24 months, if we extend the time to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. If we liquidate, our public shareholders may only receive the cash held in the trust account, and rights will expire worthless. This will also cause you to lose any potential investment opportunity in a target company and the chance of realizing future gains on your investment through any price appreciation in the combined company.
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Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of May 31, 2024, we had $400 in cash and working capital deficit of $232,908. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable British Virgin Islands law or the rules of the NASDAQ or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons. Examples of transactions that would not ordinarily require shareholder approval include asset acquisitions and share purchases, while transactions such as direct mergers with our company or transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares would require shareholder approval. For instance, the NASDAQ rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a shareholder meeting but would still require us to obtain shareholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek shareholder approval of such business combination. Except as required by law or NASDAQ rules, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — 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.
Unlike other blank check companies in which the initial shareholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination, our sponsor, 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 and private placement shares held by them, as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering, in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares at the time of any such shareholder vote (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering, and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholder’s founder shares, we would need only 2,140,001, or approximately 35.7%, of the 6,000,000 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). 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 such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
Our initial shareholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon closing of this offering and the private placement, our initial shareholders will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 225,000 founder shares by the sponsor as a result thereof). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If our initial shareholders purchase any units in this offering or if they purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither the sponsor nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, has any current intention to purchase additional securities. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our ordinary shares. It is possible that there will not be an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, our initial shareholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of our initial business combination.
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Our sponsor has the right to request our board to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, without providing our shareholders with redemption rights.
We will have until 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) 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 12 months or 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to nine (9) times, each by an additional one month (for a total of up to 21 months or 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the deposit of additional funds into the trust account by our sponsor or its affiliates or designees as set out elsewhere in this prospectus. Our shareholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. In order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsors or their affiliates or designees must deposit funds into the trust account.
Any such payments would be made in the form of a non-interest-bearing loan from our sponsor or its affiliates or designees and would be repaid, if at all, from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. The obligation to repay any such loans may reduce the amount available to us to pay as purchase price in our initial business combination, and/or may reduce the amount of funds available to the combined company following the initial business combination. This feature is different than the traditional special purpose acquisition company structure, in which any extension of the company’s period to complete a business combination requires a vote of the company’s shareholders and shareholders have the right to redeem their public shares in connection with such vote, and which do not provide the sponsor with the right to loan funds to the company to fund extension payments. In order to extend the time frame, our sponsor (or its affiliates or designees) must deposit into the trust account $200,000, or $230,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case) per month, up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share (representing the entire 9 months’ extension), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each extension.
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 the 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 one or more target businesses. Since our Board of Directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder approval. Accordingly, 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.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination, unless we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Similarly, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible asset or cash requirement to be lower than any 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 or cash requirement to be less than the amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
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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 we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares 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. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may decrease our ability 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 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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). 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.
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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our rights will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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). We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ 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 our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under British Virgin 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 rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. 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 herein.
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 COVID-19 outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced, which has and is continuing to spread throughout the world. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in a widespread health crisis that has adversely affected economies and financial markets worldwide, business operations and the conduct of commerce generally, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be, or may already have been, materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel or limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors, or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility and decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
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Our board 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 will be worthless.
We will have until 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) 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 12 months or 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to nine times, each by an additional one month (for a total of up to 21 months or 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor 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 $200,000, or $230,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each extension. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan made from our sponsor or its affiliates or designees to us. The terms of the promissory note to be issued in connection with any such loans have not yet been negotiated other than that any such loan would be interest free and not be repaid unless we consummate a business combination. Consequently, such loans 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, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and 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 British Virgin Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the rights will be worthless.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our 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 sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. 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. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. The purpose of such purchases 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. This 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 ordinary shares 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.
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If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these 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. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares and rights, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Even occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), 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. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares and rights, potentially at a loss.
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 or reduce protections under NASDAQ rules available to them.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NASDAQ on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our ordinary shares and rights listed on or promptly after their date of separation. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on NASDAQ. 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 stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, following closing of our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with NASDAQ’s initial listing requirements on a post-closing basis, 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, after closing, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our shareholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our securities. 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 prior to closing of any business combination, we and our investors could be subject to the following adverse consequences:
| ● | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; | |
| ● | reduced liquidity for our securities; | |
| ● | a determination that our ordinary shares is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our 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; and | |
| ● | the lack of protection afforded under NASDAQ rules that requires any business combination have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in trust. |
If NASDAQ delists our securities from trading on its exchange following the closing of our business combination 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 ordinary shares is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our 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 ordinary shares and rights will be listed on NASDAQ, our units, ordinary shares and rights 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, including in connection with our initial business combination.
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 units are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, 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 units 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 may have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
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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 ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our 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, 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.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption, and our rights 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 units, 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, if we are obligated to pay cash for the ordinary shares redeemed and, in the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we make purchases of our ordinary shares, potentially reducing 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 approximately $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights 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” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (or up to 21 months or 24 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), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (or up to 21 months or 24 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), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
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We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (or up to 21 months or 24 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); 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 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 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 (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our rights 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…” at page 52 and “If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition …” at page 54. 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 herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units and after payment of estimated offering expenses, only approximately $500,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $500,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $500,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their 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. 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 approximately $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on our redemption of our public shares, and our rights will expire worthless. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our rights 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 this parties bring claims against us…..” at page 52. 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 herein.
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Subsequent to the 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 that may be present inside 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 shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by 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, 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 any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
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.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (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 to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 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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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 or (ii) such lesser amount per 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 to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in 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 deemed to be insolvent, distributions made to public shareholders, or part of them, from our trust account may be subject to claw back in certain circumstances.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), and instead distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), pro rata to our public shareholders by way of redemption, it will be necessary for our directors to pass a board resolution approving the redemption of those ordinary shares and the payment of the proceeds to public shareholders. Such board resolutions are required to confirm that we satisfy the solvency test prescribed by the Companies Act (namely that our assets exceed our liabilities; and that we are able to pay our debts as they fall due). If, after the redemption proceeds are paid to public shareholders, it transpires that our financial position at the time was such that it did not satisfy the solvency test, the Companies Act provides a mechanism by which those proceeds could be recovered from public shareholders. However, the Companies Act also provides for circumstances where such proceeds could not be subject to claw back, namely where (a) the public shareholders received the proceeds in good faith and without knowledge of our failure to satisfy the solvency test; (b) a public shareholder altered its position in reliance of the validity of the payment of the proceeds; or (c) it would be unfair to require repayment of the proceeds in full or at all.
If we are deemed to be insolvent, distributions, or part of them, may be delayed while the insolvency liquidator determines the extent of potential creditor claims. In these circumstances, prior payments made by the company may be deemed “voidable transactions.”
If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), we will be required to redeem our public shares from the trust account pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association.
However, if at any time we are deemed insolvent for the purposes of the Insolvency Act (i.e. (i) we fail to comply with the requirements of a statutory demand that has not been set aside under section 157 of the Insolvency Act; (ii) execution or other process issued on a judgment, decree or order of a British Virgin Islands Court in favor of a creditor of the company is returned wholly or partly unsatisfied; or (iii) either the value of the company’s liabilities exceeds its assets, or the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due), we are required to immediately enter insolvent liquidation. In these circumstances, a liquidator will be appointed who will give notice to our creditors inviting them to submit their claims for payment, by notifying known creditors (if any) who have not submitted claims and by placing a public advertisement in at least one newspaper published in the British Virgin Islands newspaper and in at least one newspaper circulating in the location where the company has its principal place of business, and taking any other steps he considers appropriate, after which our assets would be distributed. Following the process of insolvent liquidation, the liquidator will complete its final report and accounts and will then notify the Registrar of Corporate Affairs in the British Virgin Islands (the “Registrar”). The liquidator may determine that he requires additional time to evaluate creditors’ claims (particularly if there is uncertainty over the validity or extent of the claims of any creditors). Also, a creditor or shareholder may file a petition with the British Virgin Islands Court which, if successful, may result in our liquidation being subject to the supervision of that court. Such events might delay distribution of some or all of our assets to our public shareholders. In such liquidation proceedings, the funds held in our trust account may be included in our estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any such claims deplete the trust account we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public shareholders the amounts otherwise payable to them.
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If we are deemed insolvent, then there are also limited circumstances where prior payments made to shareholders or other parties may be deemed to be a “voidable transaction” for the purposes of the Insolvency Act. A voidable transaction would be, for these purposes, payments made as “unfair preferences” or “transactions at an undervalue.” Where a payment was a risk of being a voidable transaction, a liquidator appointed over an insolvent company could apply to the British Virgin Islands Court for an order, inter alia, for the transaction to be set aside as a voidable transaction in whole or in part.
Our initial shareholders have waived their right to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to the initial shares. We will pay the costs of our liquidation and distribution of the trust account from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. We cannot, however, assure you that a creditor or shareholder will not file a petition with the British Virgin Islands Court which, if successful, may result in our liquidation being subject to the supervision of that court. Such events might delay distribution of some or all of our assets to our public shareholders.
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 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.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
| ● | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and | |
| ● | restrictions on the issuance of securities; |
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
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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. |
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments 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 and results of operations.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (or up to 21 months or 24 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) of the closing of this offering, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (or up to 21 months or 24 months) before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less the net interest earned thereon to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public shareholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the initial 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) (or up to 21 months or 24 months) before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.
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.
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. In connection with completion of any business combination, we would expect to hold a meeting of shareholders to obtain consent of our shareholders. Therefore, we may complete a business combination without holding an annual meeting of shareholders. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings. Until we hold an annual meeting of shareholders, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management.
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We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of 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. In connection with completion of any business combination, we would expect to hold a meeting of shareholders to obtain consent of our shareholders. Therefore, we may complete a business combination without holding an annual meeting of shareholders. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings. Until we hold an annual meeting of shareholders, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments 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 and ability to consummate our initial business combination. 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.
On January 24, 2024, the SEC issued final rules (the “2024 SPAC Rules”), effective as of 125 days following the publication of the 2024 SPAC Rules in the Federal Register, that formally adopted some of the SEC’s proposed rules for SPACs that were released on March 30, 2022. The 2024 SPAC Rules, among other items, impose additional disclosure requirements in initial public offerings by SPACs and business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies; amend the financial statement requirements applicable to business combination transactions involving such companies; update and expand guidance regarding the general use of projections in SEC filings, as well as when projections are disclosed in connection with proposed business combination transactions; increase the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and could impact the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The 2024 SPAC Rules may materially adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete, and the costs associated with, our initial business combination, and results of operations.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
| ● | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
| ● | restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. |
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
| ● | registration as an investment company; |
| ● | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| ● | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. |
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In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be held in demand deposit or cash accounts or invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify (A) 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 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act.
Further, under the subjective test of a “investment company” pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, even if the funds deposited in the trust account were invested in the assets discussed above, such assets, other than cash, are “securities” for purposes of the Investment Company Act and, therefore, there is a risk that we could be deemed an investment company and subject to the Investment Company Act.
In the adopting release for the 2024 SPAC Rules, the SEC provided guidance that a SPAC’s potential status as an “investment company” depends on a variety of factors, such as a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose and activities and “is a question of facts and circumstances” requiring individualized analysis. If we were deemed to be subject to compliance with and regulation under the Investment Company Act, we would be subject to additional regulatory burdens and expenses for which we have not allotted funds. Unless we are able to modify our activities so that we would not be deemed an investment company, we would either register as an investment company or wind down and abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead liquidate the Company. As a result, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and would be unable to realize the potential benefits of an initial business combination, including the possible appreciation of the combined company’s securities.
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To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time, instruct the trustee to liquidate the securities held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of securities in the trust account, the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be materially reduced, which would reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company.
We intend to initially hold the funds in the trust account as cash or in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. U.S. government treasury obligations are considered “securities” for purposes of the Investment Company Act, while cash is not. As noted above, one of the factors the SEC identified as relevant to the determination of whether a SPAC which holds securities could potentially be deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act is the SPAC’s duration. To mitigate the risk of us being deemed to be an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act) and thus subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time, instruct Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the trustee with respect to the trust account, to liquidate the U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in cash until the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination or liquidation of the company. Following such liquidation, the rate of interest we receive on the funds held in the trust account may be materially decreased. However, interest previously earned on the funds held in the trust account still may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, and working capital. As a result, any decision to liquidate the securities held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in cash would reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the company.
If we are deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we could be forced to liquidate and investors in our company would not be able to participate in any benefits of owning stock in an operating business, including the potential appreciation of our stock following a business combination and our rights would expire worthless.
As indicated above, we have 21 or 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. It is possible that a claim in the future could be made that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company. It is also possible that the investment of funds from this offering and private placement of rights during our life as a blank check company, and the earning and use of interest from such investment, both of which will likely continue until we consummate an initial business combination, could increase the likelihood of us being found to have been operating as an unregistered investment company more than if we sought to potentially mitigate this risk by holding such funds as cash. Furthermore, the longer the funds are 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, the greater the risk could be that we are considered an investment company. If we are deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act and found to have been operating as an unregistered investment company, it could cause us to liquidate. If we are forced to liquidate, investors in our company would not be able to participate in any benefits of owning stock in an operating business, including the potential appreciation of our stock following a business combination and our rights would expire worthless.
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Risks Related to Acquiring or Operating Businesses in the PRC
We do not currently operate in the PRC. However, our sponsor and members of our Board of Directors and management have significant business ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and certain members of our Board of Directors and management are based in or are residents of the PRC. We may consider a business combination with an entity or business with a physical presence or other significant ties to the People’s Republic of China which may subject the post business combination business to the laws, regulations and policies of the PRC. As a result, in the future we may be subject to risks related to the PRC as discussed below.
We may undertake our initial business combination with an entity or business which is based in a foreign country and the laws and regulations of such foreign countries may not afford U.S. investors or regulatory agencies access to information normally available to them with respect to U.S. based entities.
In November 2020, the SEC Staff issued guidance regarding certain risks and considerations that should be considered by investors regarding foreign entities, specifically the limited ability of U.S. investors and regulatory agencies to rely upon or obtain information from foreign based entities, specifically China based entities, under the laws and regulations of such foreign countries. As stated by the SEC Staff. “[A]lthough China-based Issuers that access the U.S. public capital markets generally have the same disclosure obligations and legal responsibilities as other non-U.S. issuers, the Commission’s ability to promote and enforce high-quality disclosure standards for China-based Issuers may be materially limited. As a result, there is substantially greater risk that their disclosures may be incomplete or misleading. In addition, in the event of investor harm, investors generally will have substantially less access to recourse, in comparison to U.S. domestic companies and foreign issuers in other jurisdictions.” Among other potential issues and risks cited by the SEC Staff, the SEC Staff identified restrictions in China which restricted the PCAOB’s ability to inspect audit work and practices of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in China and on the PCAOB’s ability to inspect audit work with respect to China-based issuer audits by PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in Hong Kong.
Further, current laws and regulations in China as well as other potential target countries, can limit or restrict investigations and similar activities by U.S. regulatory agencies such as the SEC to gather information regarding the securities and other activities of issuers based in the foreign countries where such laws or regulations exist. According to Article 177 of the newly amended PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020 (the “Article 177”), the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council may collaborate with securities regulatory authorities of other countries or regions in order to monitor and oversee cross border securities activities. Article 177 further provides that overseas securities regulatory authorities are not allowed to carry out investigation and evidence collection directly within the territory of the PRC, and that any Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to overseas agencies without prior consent of the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. Investors should be aware that the U.S. Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which requires that the PCAOB be permitted to inspect an issuer’s public accounting firm within three years, may result in the delisting of the operating company in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect the firm. Although we have not identified a potential target business nor any particular country in which a business combination may occur, we intend to consider potential target business in foreign jurisdictions, including China based entities and businesses, and therefore investors should be aware of risks related to the ability to obtain information and conduct investigations and be afforded protections by U.S.- based agencies such as the SEC related to any such business combination with a target business in a foreign country and consider such risks prior to investing in our securities.
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Although we will not consider or undertake an initial business combination with any company the financial statements of which are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may not restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in China.
The PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections on accounting firms in the PRC without the approval of the Chinese government authorities. The auditor and its audit work in the PRC may not be inspected fully by the PCAOB. Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating the PRC auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures.
Further, future developments in U.S. laws may restrict our ability or willingness to complete certain business combinations with companies. For instance, the recently enacted Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCA Act”) would restrict our ability to consummate a business combination with a target business unless that business met certain standards of the PCAOB and would require delisting of a company from U.S. national securities exchanges if the PCAOB is unable to inspect its public accounting firm for three consecutive years. The HFCA Act also requires public companies to disclose, among other things, whether they are owned or controlled by a foreign government, specifically, those based in China. Furthermore, the documentation we may be required to submit to the SEC proving certain beneficial ownership requirements and establishing that we are not owned or controlled by a foreign government in the event that we use a foreign public accounting firm not subject to inspection by the PCAOB or where the PCAOB is unable to completely inspect or investigate our accounting practices or financial statements because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction could be onerous and time consuming to prepare.
Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“AHFCAA”), which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCA Act and require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years.
Our financial statements are currently audited by MaloneBailey, which is subject to inspection by the PCAOB. And as a result, we affirmatively exclude any target of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and thus, we may not be able to consummate a business combination with a favored target business due to these laws.
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On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. Our auditor, MaloneBailey, is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor was not identified in this report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination announced on December 16, 2021. As a result, we do not believe that the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and related regulations will affect us. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it had signed a Statement of Protocol (the “SOP”) with the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Finance of China. The SOP, together with two protocol agreements governing inspections and investigations (together, the “SOP Agreement”), establishes a specific, accountable framework to make possible complete inspections and investigations by the PCAOB of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, as required under U.S. law. The SOP Agreement remains unpublished and is subject to further explanation and implementation. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the SOP Agreement disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have sole discretion to select any audit firms for inspection or investigation and the PCAOB inspectors and investigators shall have a right to see all audit documentation without redaction. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely in 2022.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in China, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection which could result in limitation or restriction to our access to the U.S capital markets and trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited, under the HFCA Act.
The SEC has adopted final rules to implement the HFCA Act and may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. For example, on August 6, 2020, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, or the PWG, issued the Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies to the then President of the United States. This report recommended the SEC implement five recommendations to address companies from jurisdictions that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to fulfill its statutory mandate. Some of the concepts of these recommendations were implemented with the enactment of the HFCA Act. However, some of the recommendations were more stringent than the HFCA Act. For example, if a company was not subject to PCAOB inspection, the report recommended that the transition period before a company would be delisted would end on January 1, 2022.
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The SEC’s final rules to implement the HFCA Act require the SEC to identify registrants having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate and require such issuers to submit documentation that, if true, it is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in the public accounting firm’s foreign jurisdiction. The amendments also require foreign issuers to provide certain additional disclosures in its annual report for itself and any of its consolidated foreign operating entities and provides notice regarding the procedures the SEC has established to identify issuers and to impose trading prohibitions on the securities of such issuers as required by the HFCA Act. The SEC has also announced amendments to various annual report forms to accommodate the certification and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. There could be additional regulatory or legislative requirements or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. The implications of these possible regulations in addition to the requirements of the HFCA Act are uncertain, and such uncertainty could cause the market price of our securities to be materially and adversely affected. If, for whatever reason, the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, the Company could be delisted or prohibited from being traded over the counter earlier than would be required by the HFCA Act. If our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such delisting and prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect the Company’s ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and prospects.
Inspections of audit firms that the PCAOB has conducted have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. If the PCAOB were unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of the Company’s auditor, investors in our securities would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. In addition, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections or full investigations of auditors would may make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our shares to lose confidence in the audit procedures of our auditor and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Additionally, other developments in U.S. laws and regulatory environment, including but not limited to executive orders such as Executive Order (E.O.) 13959, “Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies,” may further restrict our ability to complete a business combination with certain China-based businesses.
Recent regulatory actions by the government of the People’s Republic of China with respect to foreign capital efforts and activities, including Business Combinations with offshore shell companies such as SPACs, may adversely impact our ability to consummate a business combination with a China based entity or business, or materially impact the value of our securities following any such business combination.
Although we have not identified any potential business combination target or any country in which we may source any target business, we may eventually identify and submit for shareholder approval a business combination with a target business located or based in China. On July 30, 2021, the Chairman of the SEC issued a statement highlighting potential issues resulting from recent China regulatory changes and guidance that may impact investors’ investments in China based entities. According to the SEC’s Chairman, the People’s Republic of China provided new guidance to and placed restrictions on China-based companies raising capital offshore, including through associated offshore shell companies. These developments include China government-led cybersecurity reviews of certain companies raising capital through offshore entities. This is relevant to U.S. investors. In a number of sectors in China, companies are not allowed to have foreign ownership and cannot directly list on exchanges outside of China. To raise money on such exchanges, many China-based operating companies are structured as Variable Interest Entities (VIEs). In such an arrangement, a China-based operating company typically establishes an offshore shell company in another jurisdiction, such as the British Virgin Islands, to issue stock to public shareholders. For U.S. investors, this arrangement creates “exposure” to the China-based operating company, though only through a series of service contracts and other contracts. To be clear, though, neither the investors in the shell company’s stock, nor the offshore shell company itself, has stock ownership in the China-based operating company.
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On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law, which took effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced three existing laws on foreign investments in China, namely, the PRC Equity Joint Venture Law, the PRC Cooperative Joint Venture Law and the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic invested enterprises in China. The Foreign Investment Law establishes the basic framework for the access to, and the promotion, protection and administration of foreign investments in view of investment protection and fair competition.
According to the China Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investment” refers to investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by one or more natural persons, business entities, or otherwise organizations of a foreign country (collectively referred to as “foreign investor”) within China, and the investment activities include the following situations: (i) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors, establishes a foreign-invested enterprise within China; (ii) a foreign investor acquires stock shares, equity shares, shares in assets, or other like rights and interests of an enterprise within China; (iii) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors, invests in a new project within China; and (iv) investments in other means as provided by laws, administrative regulations, or the State Council. The “variable interest entity” structure, or VIE structure, has been adopted by many PRC-based companies to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. Under the Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangement would also be deemed as equivalent to VIEs, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors. Therefore, for any companies with a VIE structure in an industry category that is included in the “negative list” as a restricted industry, the VIE structure may be deemed legitimate only if the ultimate controlling person(s) is/are of PRC nationality (either PRC companies or PRC citizens). Conversely, if the actual controlling person(s) is/are of foreign nationalities, then the variable interest entities will be treated as VIEs and any operation in the industry category on the “negative list” without market entry clearance may be considered as illegal.
The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership.
If we were to undertake a business combination with a China based business, our ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, cyber security, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of jurisdictions such as China may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations.
There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations. The laws and regulations are sometimes vague and new laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our business. In connection with any business combination with a China based entity, we will be required to provide additional risk disclosure related to any such possible transaction and would be expected to incur additional costs related to compliance with such laws and regulations, if such compliance can be obtained.
The VIE structure may expose us to additional PRC legal Issues and adversely affect control over future operations.
Any target for a business combination may conduct operations through subsidiaries in the PRC and variable interest entities, or VIEs, in the PRC. VIEs are contractual arrangements and their structure involves unique risks to investors. The VIE structure is used to provide investors with exposure to foreign investment in PRC-based companies where PRC law prohibits or limits direct foreign investment in the operating companies. However, contractual arrangements with the VIEs are not equivalent to an investment in the VIEs. Because we may not directly hold equity interests in a VIE, we may be subject to risks and uncertainties in relation to the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to, regulatory review of overseas listing of PRC companies through special purpose vehicles and the validity and enforcement of the contractual arrangements among any PRC subsidiary, any VIE, and the owner of any VIE. The VIE structure may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control of an entity.
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We would also be subject to the risks and uncertainties about any future actions of the PRC government in this regard that could disallow the VIE structure, which would likely result in a material change in operations of a target business. Any VIE structure would be a contractual arrangement with third parties which would be governed by PRC laws, would provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law, and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. Disputes arising from these contractual arrangements between us and the third parties in any VIE agreements would be resolved through arbitration in the PRC, notwithstanding that these disputes do not include claims arising under the U.S. federal securities law, and thus would not prevent you from pursuing claims under the U.S. federal securities law. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in the U.S. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could further limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements, through arbitration, litigation, and other legal proceedings in the PRC, which could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements and exert effective control over the third parties and the VIE entities. Furthermore, these contracts may not be enforceable in the PRC if PRC government authorities or courts take the view that such contracts contravene PRC laws and regulations or are otherwise not enforceable for public policy reasons. Where we engage in an initial business combination with a PRC-based target company, in the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over the VIE entities, and our ability to conduct our business may be materially and adversely affected.
If the PRC government determines that the contractual arrangements constituting part of any future VIE structure do not comply with PRC regulations, or if these regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, we may be unable to assert our contractual rights over the assets of our VIEs, and our Ordinary Shares may decline in value or become worthless.
Recently, the PRC government adopted a series of regulatory actions and issued statements to regulate business operations in the PRC, including those related to VIEs. There are currently no relevant laws or regulations in the PRC that prohibit companies whose entity interests are within the PRC from listing on overseas stock exchanges. In the event that PRC government determines that the contractual arrangements constituting part of any VIE structure do not comply with PRC regulations, or if these regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, we may be unable to assert our contractual rights over the assets of our VIEs, and our ordinary shares following a business combination may decline in value or become worthless.
PRC regulations regarding acquisitions impose significant regulatory approval and review requirements, which could make it more difficult for us to timely complete such acquisitions, or complete them at all.
Under the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law, companies undertaking acquisitions relating to businesses in China must notify the State Administration for Market Regulation, or the SAMR, in advance of any transaction where the parties’ revenues in the China market exceed certain thresholds and the buyer would obtain control of, or decisive influence over, the target, while under the M&A Rules, the approval of MOFCOM must be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire domestic companies affiliated with such PRC enterprises or residents. Applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations also require certain merger and acquisition transactions to be subject to security review. Complying with the requirements of the relevant regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including approval from SAMR, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to timely complete an initial business combination within either the initial 12-month (or 15-month, if the Event occurs) period or within 21 or 24 months if extended or at all.
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The Chinese government may exert substantial interventions and influences on our combined company’s operations at any time. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject our combined company to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our securities significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.
Though we currently do not have any RPC subsidiary or China operation and a majority of our management are located outside China, we may pursue a business combination with a company doing business in China (excluding any target company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our combined company’s ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to securities, taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese properties.
For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2, 2021, that it had begun an investigation of Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later ordered that the company’s app be removed from smartphone app stores. On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly released the Guidelines for Further Easing the Burden of Excessive Homework and Off-campus Tutoring for Students at the Stage of Compulsory Education, pursuant to which foreign investment in such firms via mergers and acquisitions, franchise development, and variable interest entities are banned from this sector.
As such, our combined company’s business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which they operate at any time. The combined company could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. Our combined company may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. If the PRC government initiates an investigation into us at any time alleging us violation of cybersecurity laws, anti-monopoly laws, and securities offering rules in China in connection with this offering or future business combination, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to comply with the applicable rules, and our business operations will be affected materially and any such action could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
As the date of this prospectus, there are no PRC laws and regulations (including the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, or any other government entity) in force explicitly requiring that we obtain permission from PRC authorities for this offering or to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction or any regulatory objection to this offering from any relevant PRC authorities. However, it is uncertain when and whether our combined company will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. stock exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our combined company to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our securities significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.
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China Securities Regulatory Commission and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body if we undertake a business combination with a China-based entity. If the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval. As a result, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities, or even could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
Our initial business combination may be subject to PRC laws relating to the collection, use, sharing, retention, security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. These laws continue to develop, and the PRC government may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers in the future by adopting other rules and restrictions. Non-compliance could result in penalties or other significant legal liabilities.
Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”). In April 2020, the CAC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which requires that operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. On January 4, 2022, the CAC, in conjunction with 12 other government departments issued the New Measures for Cybersecurity Review (the “New Measures”). The New Measures amends the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (Draft Revision for Comments) (the “Draft Measures”) released on July 10, 2021 and came into effect on February 15, 2022. The New Measures include data processing activities of network platform operators that affect or may affect national security into cybersecurity review, and make it clear that network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cybersecurity review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad. The PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021, imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals that carry out data activities, provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Personal Information Protection Law (the “PIPL”), which is to take effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL sets out the regulatory framework for the handling and protection of personal information and the transmission of personal information overseas. If our potential future target business in China involves collecting and retaining internal or customer data, such target might be subject to the relevant cybersecurity laws and regulations, including the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PIPL, and the cybersecurity review before effecting a business combination.
In addition, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities. According to Law (the “Opinions”), which were available to the public on July 6, 2021. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. As of the date of this prospectus, no official guidance and related implementation rules have been issued in relation to these recently issued opinions and the interpretation and implementation of the Opinions remain unclear at this stage. We cannot assure you that we will not be required to obtain the pre-approval of the CSRC and potentially other PRC governmental authorities to pursue any business combination with a China-based company.
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If, for example, our potential initial business combination is with a target business operating in the PRC and if the New Measures mandate clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by the target business, we may face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all, and incur additional time delays to complete any such acquisition. Cybersecurity review could also result in negative publicity with respect to our initial business combination and diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We may also be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities if the PRC government considers that the potential investments will result in a significant national security issue. In addition, due to limited business combination period that we have, we may avoid searching for a target and completing an initial business combination that will be subject to cybersecurity review. Therefore, we may avoid searching for a company which could be deemed as a network platform operator and possesses information of more than one million users.
Further, if the combined company, after business combination, is deemed to be a network platform operator which holds personal information of more than one million users, it will be subject to such cybersecurity review. The combined company could become subject to enhanced cybersecurity review or investigations launched by PRC regulators in the future and may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. Additionally, any failure or delay in the completion of the cybersecurity review procedures or any other non-compliance with the related laws and regulations may result in fines or other penalties, including suspension of business, website closure, and revocation of prerequisite licenses, as well as reputational damage or legal proceedings or actions, which may have material adverse effect on the combined company’s business, financial condition or results of operations and any such action could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless. As uncertainties remain regarding the interpretation and implementation of these laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that the combined company following a business combination will comply with such regulations in all respects and it may be ordered to rectify or terminate any actions that are deemed illegal by regulatory authorities. As a result, both you and we face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
Other PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”), adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006, and amended in 2009, require an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The scope of the M&A Rules covers two types of transactions: (a) equity deals where the acquisition by a foreign investor, i.e., the offshore special purpose vehicle, of equity in a “PRC domestic company,” and (b) asset deals where the acquisition by an offshore special purpose vehicle of the assets of a “PRC domestic company.” Neither the equity deals or the asset deals will be involved in our business combination process with a China-based target for the reason that the offshore special purpose vehicle of such China-based target directly holds shares through the wholly foreign owned enterprise(s) or WFOE, which are established by means of direct investment rather than by equity deals or asset deals under the M&A Rules. To date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a China-based entity as part of the business combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. As a result, based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and the local market practices, the CSRC’s approval under the M&A Rules will not be required in the context of our business combination with a China-based target. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules to offshore special purpose vehicles and the above analysis are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementation and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from CSRC in order for us to complete a business combination with a China-based target pursuant to the M&A Rules. If we are required to obtain such approvals, we cannot assure we will be able to receive them in a timely manner, or at all.
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Moreover, except for emphasizing the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies, the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021, also provides that the State Council will revise provisions regarding the overseas issuance and listing of shares by companies limited by shares and will clarify the duties of domestic regulatory authorities.
On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released for public comments Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) and Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft Rules”). The Draft Rules, if declared into effect, will implement a new regulatory framework requiring Chinese businesses to file with CSRC when pursuing overseas listings. The Draft Rules propose a new filing system for all Chinese companies (including the VIE-structured companies) that are pursuing listings outside mainland China. An overseas listing is required to be filed with CSRC within three working days (i) following the submission of IPO application in the case of an IPO (or similar application in the case of a dual listing on another market), or (ii) following the submission of offering/registration applications (or following the first announcement of the transaction, as applicable) in the case of a SPAC listing or “back-door” listing. The requested filing documents include but are not limited to: (1) a filing report and related undertakings; (2) regulatory opinions, filing or approval documents issued by the relevant authorities (if applicable); (3) security review opinions issued by the relevant authorities, if applicable; (4) a PRC legal opinion; and (5) a prospectus.
On December 27, 2021, the NDRC and the MOFCOM promulgated Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2021 Version), effective as of January 1, 2022 (the “Negative List”). Compared to the previous version, there are no specific industries added to the list but it for the first time declares China’s jurisdiction over (and detailed regulatory requirements on) overseas listings made by Chinese businesses in the so-called “Prohibited Industries.” According to Article 6 of the Negative List, domestic enterprises engaging in businesses in which foreign investment is prohibited shall obtain approval from the relevant authorities before offering and listing their shares on an overseas stock exchange. In addition, certain foreign investors shall not be involved in the operation or management of the relevant enterprise, and shareholding percentage restrictions under relevant domestic securities investment management regulations shall apply to such foreign investors. The intended scope of such jurisdiction was further clarified by NDRC officials on a press conference held on January 18, 2022.
Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the M&A Rules, the Opinions, the Draft Rules or the Negative List from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company, given that: (a) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules; (b) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in British Virgin Islands rather than China and currently the company conducts no business in China and (c) our sponsor is a newly incorporated company in the British Virgin Islands, rather than China, has its principal offices in the British Virgin Islands and currently, the sponsor conducts no business in China. However, there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules, the Opinions, the Draft Rules or the Negative List will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering or if we decide to consummate the business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. In any such event, these governmental authorities may delay this offering or a potential business combination, impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities.
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In the event that we were to determine to engage in an initial business combination with a China-based or operating business we would be subject to restrictions on the use of our cash obtained from our business combination with a China-based or operating business as describe under “PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds it receives from offshore financing activities to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to any PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and its ability to fund and expand business” and elsewhere in this prospectus. However, as discussed elsewhere in this prospectus, we do not believe we are currently subject to PRC law or regulation, including those PRC laws and regulation which affect our cash flow, including our ability to effect the redemption rights of our shareholders in connection with a business combination. We note that the funds held in trust to effect any such redemption are held outside of China and, in any event, we are not aware of any PRC law or regulation that would prevent us from making redemption payments to our shareholders.
Our company is a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. We currently do not hold any equity interest in any PRC company or operate any business in China. Therefore, we are not required to obtain any permission from any PRC governmental authorities to operate our business as currently conducted. If we decide to consummate our business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company’s business operations in China through its subsidiaries, as applicable, are subject to relevant requirements to obtain applicable licenses from PRC governmental authorities under relevant PRC laws and regulations.
We may not be able to consolidate the financial results of some of our affiliated companies or such consolidation could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
A substantial part of our business following a business combination with a PRC entity may be conducted through VIE entities or in a VIE structure. At the present time, such structures and arrangements would allow us to be considered the primary beneficiary, enabling us to consolidate the financial results of VIE entities in our consolidated financial statements. In the event that in the future a company we hold as a VIE would no longer meet the definition of a VIE, or we are deemed not to be the primary beneficiary, we would not be able to consolidate line by line that entity’s financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. Also, if in the future an affiliate company becomes a VIE and we become the primary beneficiary, we would be required to consolidate that entity’s financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. If such entity’s financial results were negative, this could have a corresponding negative impact on our operating results for PRC purposes. However, any material variations in the accounting principles, practices, and methods used in preparing financial statements for PRC purposes from the principles, practices, and methods generally accepted in the U.S. and in the SEC accounting regulations must be discussed, quantified, and reconciled in financial statements for the U.S. GAAP and SEC purposes.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations and changes in policies, rules, and regulations in China, which may be quick with little advance notice, could limit the legal protection available to you and us.
The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which legal cases have limited value as precedents. In the late 1970s, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The legislation over the past three decades has significantly increased the protection afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector investment in China. Any future PRC subsidiary is subject to various PRC laws and regulations generally applicable to companies in China. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, however, the interpretations of many laws, regulations, and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations, and rules involve uncertainties.
From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, however, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy in the PRC legal system than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies, internal rules, and regulations that may have retroactive effect and may change quickly with little advance notice. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainties over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property), and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
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You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments, or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the prospectus based on foreign laws. It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.
Following completion of a business combination, we may remain a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, and conduct most of our operations in China and most of our assets may be located in China. In addition, currently all our senior executive officers and directors either reside within China or Hong Kong, are physically there for a significant portion of each year, and are PRC nationals and this may also be the case following the completion of a business combination with a PRC-based or operated company. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the British Virgin Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us, or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws or those of any U.S. state.
The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S.
It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of another country or region to monitor and oversee cross-border securities activities, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the U.S. may not be efficient in the absence of a practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or “Article 177,” which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Article 177 further provides that Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to foreign agencies without prior consent from the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.
There is also uncertainty as to whether the courts of Hong Kong would (1) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (2) entertain original actions brought in Hong Kong against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
In addition, judgments of United States courts will not be directly enforced in Hong Kong. There are currently no treaties or other arrangements providing for reciprocal enforcement of foreign judgments between Hong Kong and the United States. However, subject to certain conditions, including but not limited to when the judgment is for a definite sum of money in a civil matter and not in respect of taxes, fines, penalties or similar charges, the judgment is final and conclusive rendered by a court with jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter and has not been stayed or satisfied in full, the judgment is from a competent court, the judgment was not obtained by fraud, misrepresentation or mistake nor obtained in proceedings which contravenes the rules of natural justice and the enforcement of the judgment is not contrary to public policy in Hong Kong, Hong Kong courts may accept such judgment obtained from a United States court as a debt due under the rules of common law. However, a separate legal action for debt must be commenced in Hong Kong in order to recover such debt from the judgment debtor.
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Any actions by the Chinese government, including any decision to intervene or influence the operations of any future PRC subsidiary or to exert control over any offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may cause us to make material changes to the operations of any future PRC subsidiary, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. The ability of any PRC-based or controlled business that we may acquire to operate in China may be impaired by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, foreign investment limitations, and other matters. The central or local governments of China may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our PRC-based or controlled subsidiary’s compliance with such regulations or interpretations. As such, any future PRC subsidiary may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which they operate. They could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. They may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply.
Furthermore, it is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Our operations following a business combination with a PRC entity could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to our business or industry, particularly in the event permission to list on U.S. national exchanges may be later required, or withheld or rescinded once given.
Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision to intervene or influence the operations of any future PRC subsidiary at any time or to exert control over an offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may cause us to make material changes to the operations of any future PRC subsidiary, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and/or may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit any future PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise expose any PRC subsidiaries to liability and penalties under PRC law.
SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to PRC Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC residents or entities, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions.
SAFE Circular 37 is issued to replace the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments through Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles. If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, any of our PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to affiliated entities in our corporate structure. Moreover, failure to comply with SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.
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However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest of us, nor can we compel our shareholders to comply with the requirements of SAFE Circular 37. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of its shareholders who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE Circular 37. Failure by such shareholders to comply with SAFE Circular 37, or failure by us or any PRC subsidiaries to amend the foreign exchange registrations could subject such subsidiaries to fines or legal sanctions, restrict any overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our post business combination ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds it receives from offshore financing activities to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to any PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and its ability to fund and expand business.
Following a business combination with one or more PRC based entities, any transfer of funds by us to any PRC subsidiaries, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in registered capital, is subject to approval by or registration or filing with relevant governmental authorities in China. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises in China, capital contributions to PRC subsidiaries are subject to the approval of or filing with the Ministry of Commerce in its local branches and registration with a local bank authorized by SAFE. In addition, (i) any foreign loan procured by PRC subsidiaries is required to be registered with SAFE or its local branches or filed with SAFE in its information system; and (ii) PRC subsidiaries may not procure loans which exceed the difference between their total investment amount and registered capital or, as an alternative, only procure loans subject to the calculation approach and limitation as provided in the People’s Bank of China Notice No. 9 (the “PBOC Notice No. 9”). Any medium- or long-term loan to be provided by us or our affiliated entities, if any, to our PRC subsidiary must be registered with the National Development and Reform Commission and SAFE or its local branches. We may not be able to obtain these government approvals or complete such registrations on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future capital contributions or foreign loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to receive such approvals or complete such registration or filing, our ability to capitalize on PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and ability to fund and expand our businesses.
The Circular on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, effective as of June 1, 2015, as amended by Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement under the Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, allows certain entities to settle their foreign exchange capital at their discretion, but continues to prohibit them from using the Renminbi fund converted from their foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond their business scopes, and also prohibit such PRC based entities from using such Renminbi fund to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. As a result, SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our future ability to use Renminbi converted from the net proceeds from our offshore financing activities to fund the establishment of new entities in China by us or their subsidiaries, to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies through any future PRC subsidiaries in China, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in China to utilize their revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. Under the expected corporate structure, the combined company, a British Virgin Islands holding company, may rely on dividend payments from its PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements it may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments in foreign currencies of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approvals of the SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approvals of the SAFE, cash generated from the operations of PRC operating companies in China may be used to pay dividends. However, approvals from or registration with appropriate government authorities are required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currencies and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies.
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As a result, the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will need to obtain the SAFE approval to pay off their debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to any entities outside China or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi.
In light of the flood of capital outflows of China in 2016 due to the weakening Renminbi, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny over major outbound capital movements including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting processes have been put in place by the SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions that fall under the capital account transactions. The PRC government may in the future at its discretion further restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control regulations prevent the combined company from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies from its PRC subsidiaries to satisfy its capital demands, the combined company may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to its shareholders.
Dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our ordinary shares by our foreign investors may be subject to PRC tax.
We may consummate a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China through subsidiaries in China. After such business combination, the combined company may rely on dividends and other distributions from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company to provide it with cash flow and to meet its other obligations. Current regulations in China would permit the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends only out of their accumulated distributable profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries in China will be required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits each year to fund their respective statutory reserves (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of their respective registered capital). Such cash reserve may not be distributed as cash dividends.
In addition, if the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make payments to the combined company or its PRC subsidiaries, as applicable.
Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.
The PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of certain taxable assets, including, in particular, equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by a non-resident enterprise by promulgating and implementing SAT Circular 59 and Circular 698, which became effective in January 2008, and a Circular 7 in replacement of some of the existing rules in Circular 698, which became effective in February 2015.
Under Circular 698, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring the equity interests of a PRC “resident enterprise” indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, may be subject to PRC corporate income tax, if the indirect transfer is considered to be an abusive use of company structure without reasonable commercial purposes. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of up to 10%. Circular 698 also provides that, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers its equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise to its related parties at a price lower than the fair market value, the relevant tax authority has the power to make a reasonable adjustment to the taxable income of the transaction.
In February 2015, the SAT issued Circular 7 to replace the rules relating to indirect transfers in Circular 698. Circular 7 has introduced a new tax regime that is significantly different from that under Circular 698. Circular 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to not only indirect transfers set forth under Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets, through the offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, Circular 7 provides clearer criteria than Circular 698 on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. Circular 7 also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of the taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring the taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise being the transferor, or the transferee, or the PRC entity which directly owned the taxable assets may report to the relevant tax authority such indirect transfer. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC corporate income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise.
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We face uncertainties on the reporting and consequences on future private equity financing transactions, share exchange or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises. The PRC tax authorities may pursue such non-resident enterprises with respect to a filing or the transferees with respect to withholding obligation, and request our PRC subsidiaries to assist in the filing. As a result, we and non-resident enterprises in such transactions may become at risk of being subject to filing obligations or being taxed, under Circular 59 or Circular 698 and Circular 7, and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 59, Circular 698 and Circular 7 or to establish that we and our non-resident enterprises should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under SAT Circular 59, Circular 698 and Circular 7 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the taxable assets transferred and the cost of investment. Although we currently have no plans to pursue any acquisitions in China or elsewhere in the world, we may pursue acquisitions in the future that may involve complex corporate structures. If we are considered a non-resident enterprise under the PRC corporate income tax law and if the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under SAT Circular 59 or Circular 698 and Circular 7, our income tax costs associated with such potential acquisitions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Recent greater oversight by the Cyberspace Administration of China over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list on a foreign exchange, could adversely impact our future business and any future offering of securities.
On July 10, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China or CAC published the Circular on Seeking Comments on Cybersecurity Review Measures (Revised Draft for Comments) (the “Review Measures Draft”), which provides that, in addition to critical information infrastructure operators (“CIIOs”) that intend to purchase Internet products and services, data processing operators engaging in data processing activities that affect or may affect national security must be subject to cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office of the PRC. According to the Review Measures Draft, a cybersecurity review assesses potential national security risks that may be brought about by any procurement, data processing, or overseas listing (“Cybersecurity Review Measures”). The Review Measures Draft further requires that CIIOs and data processing operators that possess personal data of at least one million users must apply for a review by the Cybersecurity Review Office of the PRC before conducting listings in foreign countries. The deadline for public comments on the Review Measures Draft was July 25, 2021. There remains uncertainty, however, as to how the final Cybersecurity Review Measures will be interpreted or implemented and whether the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, may adopt new laws, regulations, rules, or detailed implementation and interpretation related to the Cybersecurity Review Measures.
We may be required to obtain permission from Chinese authorities, including the Cyberspace Administration of China to acquire and operate certain PRC-based or controlled businesses, and the ownership or operation of certain China-based businesses may be limited or prohibited to foreign investors.
Compliance with the Cybersecurity Review Measures, if applicable to a potential business combination, would likely be time consuming and costly and may not be able to be completed timely to comply with our time constraints in completing a business combination.
If we inadvertently conclude that the Cybersecurity Review Measures do not apply to a potential business combination, or if applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and it is determined in the future that the Cybersecurity Review Measures become applicable to us, we may be subject to review when conducting data processing activities, and may face challenges in addressing its requirements and make necessary changes to our internal policies and practices. We may incur substantial costs in complying with the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which could result in material adverse changes in our business operations and financial position. If we are not able to fully comply with the Cybersecurity Review Measures, our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors may be significantly limited or completely hindered, and our securities may significantly decline in value or become worthless.
If any such new laws, regulations, rules, or implementation and interpretation come into effect, we will take all reasonable measures and actions to comply and to minimize the adverse effect of such laws on us. We cannot guarantee, however, that we will not be subject to cybersecurity review in the future. During such review, we may be required to suspend our operation or experience other disruptions to our operations. Cybersecurity review could also result in negative publicity with respect to our Company and diversion of our managerial and financial resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial conditions, and results of operations.
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Risk Related to Our Securities
In the event that we are not the surviving entity upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and there is no effective registration statement for the offering of the shares underlying the rights, the rights may expire worthless.
If we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary share basis, and each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the 1/10 share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the business combination. More specifically, the right holder will be required to indicate his, her or its election to convert the rights into underlying shares as well as to return the original rights certificates to us. In the event that we are not the surviving entity upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and there is no effective registration statement for the offering of the shares underlying the rights, the rights may expire worthless.
The grant of registration rights to our sponsor and holders of our private placement units 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 ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register their founder shares. In addition, holders of our private placement units and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement units and their underlying securities, and holders of units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, may demand that we register such units and their underlying securities. 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 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 ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our sponsor, holders of our private placement units or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry 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 or sector. 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, 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 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 shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team, including their affiliates’ past performance, is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team and their affiliates as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful.
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. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by 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 receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues 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.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking 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 initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our Board of Directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our Board of Directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. However, if our Board of Directors is unable to determine the fair value of an entity with which we seek to complete an initial business combination based on such standards, we will be required to obtain an opinion as described above.
We may issue additional ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of an unlimited number of ordinary shares, no par value, and an unlimited number of preference shares, no par value, divided into five (5) classes (A through E).
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares, and may issue preference shares, in order to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. 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. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; | |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded 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; and | |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, ordinary shares. |
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 — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders”) of our ordinary shares and rights, the U.S. holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. We urge U.S. holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our ordinary shares and rights. 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 — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
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We may reincorporate or redomicile in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation or domiciliation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite board approval (and, if required, shareholder approval) under the Companies Act and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, redomicile or reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located. The transaction may require a shareholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder 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 to pay such taxes. Shareholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation or domiciliation.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights 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.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, Ms. Wanjiao Pu and Mr. Chi Zhuang and our other 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 management 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 could have a detrimental effect on us.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent years, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. The premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue. The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors. In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity will likely need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
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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, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, 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.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidates’ 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.
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Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other 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 or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our 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 determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are involved in Golden Path Acquisition Corporation, and may in the future become, be affiliated with other blank check companies like ours or other entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in making and managing investments 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 may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under the Companies Act and/or other British Virgin Islands law.
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 competitive 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. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
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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 and directors. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no 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 disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or 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 officers, directors or existing holders, 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.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
Our sponsor was issued 1,725,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. The Company has had no operations to date and was minimally capitalized with a minimal amount of funds from our sponsor in the year ended May 31, 2024. As such, our sponsor will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our sponsor prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private placement units). The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 (or 238,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement units, for a purchase price of $2,200,000 in the aggregate (or $2,380,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $10.00 per unit, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination.
Each private placement unit consists of one private placement share and one private placement right, granting the holder thereof the right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination.
The founder shares are identical to the ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions and (ii) 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the timeframe set forth therein or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 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) (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame).
The 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 the initial business combination.
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Since our sponsor, officers and directors may not be eligible to be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
At the closing of our initial business combination, 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. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. These financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We 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; | |
| ● | 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, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; | |
| ● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; | |
| ● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and | |
| ● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
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We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, 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.
Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units, $60,000,000 (or $69,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to approximately $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| ● | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or | |
| ● | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. In the event that we acquire assets, we would expect to acquire assets to constitute an operating business. We do not expect to 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 ordinary 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 ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and 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 our control of the target business.
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We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete 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, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination, unless we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (such 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. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all 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 ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Investors may view our units as less attractive than those of other blank check companies.
Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of shares and warrants each to purchase one full share in their initial public offerings, we are selling units comprised of ordinary shares and rights entitling the holder to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one ordinary share. The rights will not have any voting rights and will expire and be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. Furthermore, it is not our intent to issue fractional shares upon conversion of any rights. Any rounding down and extinguishment may be done with or without any in lieu cash payment or other compensation being made to the holder of the relevant rights. Accordingly, investors in this offering will not be issued the same securities as part of their investment as they may have in other blank check company offerings, which may have the effect of limiting the potential upside value of your investment in our company.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the period of time in which it had to consummate a business combination. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments or extend the time in which we have to consummate a business combination through amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, each of which will require the approval of our shareholders as a matter of British Virgin Islands law, meaning a resolution passed by a majority of the holders of our ordinary shares who are eligible to vote and attend (in person or by proxy) at a general meeting of the company’s shareholders.
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The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-initial business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of a majority 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.
Many blank check companies have a provision in their charter, which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those, which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. Typically, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shareholders. Our memorandum and articles of association provides that, prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, its provisions related to pre-business combination activity and the rights and obligations attaching to the ordinary shares, including to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares attending and voting on such amendment. Prior to our initial business combination, if we seek to amend any provisions of our memorandum and articles of association relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote on any proposed amendments to our memorandum and articles of association. Other provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may be amended prior to the consummation of our initial business combination if approved by a majority of the votes of shareholders attending and voting on such amendment or by resolution of the directors. Following the consummation of our initial business combination, the rights and obligations attaching to our ordinary shares and other provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may still be amended if approved by a majority of the votes of shareholders attending and voting on such amendment or by resolution of the directors.
Our sponsor, which will beneficially own approximately 22.28% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and taking into account ownership of the private placement units), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner it chooses. 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.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without shareholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the investment management trust agreement between us, Wilmington Trust, National Association and VStock Transfer LLC, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees, the registration rights agreement among us and our sponsor and the administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to this offering contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction with such target business (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the NASDAQ. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
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We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified 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 units 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. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our rights 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” and other risk factors below.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution upon the purchase of our ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the ordinary shares, including the ordinary shares underlying the rights included in the units) and the pro forma net tangible book value per 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, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 105.39% (or $9.58 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $(0.49) and the initial offering price of $9.09 per unit.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.02 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares.
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The following table shows the public shareholders’ and our sponsor’s investment per share and how these compare to the implied value of one ordinary share upon the completion of our initial business combination. The following table assumes that (i) our valuation is $58,500,000 (which is the amount we would have in the trust account for our initial business combination assuming the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised and following payment of the underwriter’s deferred fee), (ii) no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, (iii) no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination and (iv) all founder shares are held by our initial shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination, and does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of the initial business combination, such as (i) the value of our public and private rights, (ii) the trading price of our ordinary shares, (iii) the initial business combination transaction costs (other than the payment of deferred underwriting commissions), (iv) any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers, (v) any equity issued to other third party investors, or (vi) the target’s business itself.
| Public shares | 6,000,000 | |||
| Founder shares (excluding 225,000 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture in the event that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) | 1,500,000 | |||
| Total shares | 7,500,000 | |||
| Total funds in trust available for initial business combination | $ | 58,500,000 | ||
| Public shareholders’ investment per ordinary share(1) | $ | 10.00 | ||
| Sponsor’s investment per ordinary share(2) | $ | 1.28 | ||
| Initial implied value per public share | $ | 9.75 | ||
| Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination | $ | 7.80 |
| (1) | While the public shareholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public rights, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only. |
| (2) | The total investment in the equity of the company by the sponsor is $2,225,000, consisting of (i) $25,000 paid by the sponsor for the founder shares and (ii) $2,200,000 paid by the sponsor for 220,000 private placement units. For purposes of this table, the full investment amount is ascribed to the founder shares only. |
Based on these assumptions, each ordinary share would have an implied value of $7.80 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, representing an approximately 20% decrease from the initial implied value of $9.75 per public share. While the implied value of $7.80 per ordinary share upon completion of our initial business combination would represent a dilution to our public shareholders, this would represent a significant increase in value for our sponsor relative to the price it paid for each founder share. At $10.00 per ordinary share, the 1,742,000 ordinary shares that the sponsor would own upon completion of our initial business combination (including the conversion of the private rights underlying the private units) would have an aggregate implied value of $17,420,000. As a result, even if the trading price of our ordinary share significantly declines, the value of the founder shares held by our sponsor will be significantly greater than the amount our sponsor paid to purchase such shares. In addition, our sponsor could potentially recoup its entire investment in our company even if the trading price of our ordinary shares after the initial business combination is as low as $1.28 per share. As a result, our sponsor is likely to earn a substantial profit on its investment in us upon disposition of its ordinary shares even if the trading price of our ordinary shares declines after we complete our initial business combination. Our sponsor may therefore be economically incentivized to complete an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
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The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our ordinary shares at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per public share.
Upon the closing of this offering and assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $2,225,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $2,200,000 purchase price for the private placement units. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per public share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 1,500,000 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $15,000,000. Even if the trading price of our ordinary shares were as low as $10.00 per share, and the private placement units are worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to our sponsor’s aggregate initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, members of our management team who owns interests in our sponsor may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public shareholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public shareholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.
Our rights agreement with our transfer agent will designate the courts of the 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 rights, which could limit the ability of rights holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our rights agreement with our transfer agent, which govern the terms of the rights, respectively, will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us or the rights agent arising out of or relating in any way to the rights agreement shall 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 and the rights agent irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. These provisions therefore require holders of our rights to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of New York, New York. We and the rights agent and investors have therefore waived any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, this exclusive forum provision shall not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction or any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act against us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or agents. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. In addition, the Company cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing limitations on venue, such provisions are not applicable with respect to claims under the United States’ Securities Act or Exchange Act. With respect to other types of claims these choice-of-forum provisions may limit a right’s 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.
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We may amend the terms of the rights in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public rights with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding rights.
Our rights will be issued in registered form under a rights agreement between VStock Transfer LLC, as rights agent, and us. The rights agreement provides that the terms of the rights 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 a majority of the then issued and outstanding rights (including private rights) to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of rights. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the rights in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding rights (including private rights) approve of such amendment.
Our rights and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing rights to acquire 600,000 of our ordinary shares (or up to 690,000 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, an aggregate of 220,000 (or 238,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement units in a private placement, each unit consisting of one private placement share and one private placement right, granting the holder thereof the right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination Prior to this offering, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 founder shares in a private placement. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into units, at the price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). Such units would be identical to the private placement units. To the extent we issue ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional ordinary shares upon 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 ordinary shares and reduce the value of the ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our rights and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the rights 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 ordinary shares and rights underlying the units, include:
| ● | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; | |
| ● | prior offerings of those companies; | |
| ● | our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; | |
| ● | a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; | |
| ● | our capital structure; |
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| ● | 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. 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 historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, or international financing 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 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 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 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.
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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.
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.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending May 31, 2025. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer 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 on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin 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 a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under British Virgin Islands law are governed by the Companies Act and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The common law of the British Virgin Islands is derived from English common law, and whilst the decisions of the English courts are of persuasive authority, they are not binding on a court in the British Virgin Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law may not be as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the British Virgin Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and some states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, while statutory provisions do exist in British Virgin Islands law for derivative actions to be brought in certain circumstances, shareholders in BVI companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States. The circumstances in which any such action may be brought, and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect to any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a BVI company being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States. Accordingly, shareholders may have fewer alternatives available to them if they believe that corporate wrongdoing has occurred.
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The British Virgin Islands Courts are also unlikely:
| ● | to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws where that liability is in respect of penalties, taxes, fines or similar fiscal or revenue obligations of the company; and | |
| ● | to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the British Virgin Islands, based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature. |
There is no statutory recognition in the British Virgin Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the British Virgin Islands will in certain circumstances recognize such a foreign judgment and treat it as a cause of action in itself which may be sued upon as a debt at common law so that no retrial of the issues would be necessary provided that the U.S. judgment:
| ● | the U.S. court issuing the judgment had jurisdiction in the matter and the company either submitted to such jurisdiction or was resident or carrying on business within such jurisdiction and was duly served with process; | |
| ● | is final and for a liquidated sum; | |
| ● | the judgment given by the U.S. court was not in respect of penalties, taxes, fines or similar fiscal or revenue obligations of the company; | |
| ● | in obtaining judgment there was no fraud on the part of the person in whose favor judgment was given or on the part of the court; | |
| ● | recognition or enforcement of the judgment would not be contrary to public policy in the British Virgin Islands; and | |
| ● | the proceedings pursuant to which judgment was obtained were not contrary to natural justice. |
In appropriate circumstances, a British Virgin Islands Court may give effect in the British Virgin Islands to other kinds of final foreign judgments such as declaratory orders, orders for performance of contracts and injunctions.
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 our board of directors, management or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a U.S. company. For a discussion of certain differences between the provisions of the Companies Act, remedies available to shareholders and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “British Virgin Islands Company Considerations.”
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 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 two-year director terms and the ability of the Board of Directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference 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.
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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.
In particular, investors should be aware that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the British Virgin Islands or any other applicable jurisdictions would recognize and enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States or entertain original actions brought in the British Virgin Islands or any other applicable jurisdiction’s courts against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located 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 located outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:
| ● | rules and regulations or currency redemption or corporate withholding taxes on individuals; | |
| ● | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; | |
| ● | tariffs and trade barriers; | |
| ● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; | |
| ● | longer payment cycles; | |
| ● | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; | |
| ● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; | |
| ● | rates of inflation; | |
| ● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; | |
| ● | cultural and language differences; | |
| ● | employment regulations; | |
| ● | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and | |
| ● | deterioration of political relations with the United States which could result in any number of difficulties, both normal course such as above or extraordinary such as sanctions being imposed. We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer. |
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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, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers 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.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. 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. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under Federal securities laws.
Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations after we acquire it, our results of operations may be negatively impacted following a business combination.
Managing a business, operations, personnel or assets in another country is challenging and costly. Management of the target business that we may hire (whether based abroad or in the U.S.) may be inexperienced in cross-border business practices and unaware of significant differences in accounting rules, legal regimes and labor practices. Even with a seasoned and experienced management team, the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, personnel and assets can be significant (and much higher than in a purely domestic business) and may negatively impact our financial and operational performance.
Many countries, and especially those in emerging markets, have difficult and unpredictable legal systems and underdeveloped laws and regulations that are unclear and subject to corruption and inexperience, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to seek and enforce legal protections, including with respect to intellectual property and other property rights, or to defend ourselves with regard to legal actions taken against us in a given country, may be difficult or impossible, which could adversely impact our operations, assets or financial condition.
Rules and regulations in many countries, including some of the emerging markets within the regions we will initially focus, are often ambiguous or open to differing interpretation by responsible individuals and agencies at the municipal, state, regional and federal levels. The attitudes and actions of such individuals and agencies are often difficult to predict and inconsistent.
Delay with respect to the enforcement of particular rules and regulations, including those relating to customs, tax, environmental and labor, could cause serious disruption to operations abroad and negatively impact our results.
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After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue may be derived from our operations in 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. The economies in developing markets we will initially focus on differ from the economies of most developed countries in many respects. Such economic growth has been 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, the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
Because our business objective includes the possibility of acquiring one or more operating businesses with primary operations in emerging markets we will focus on, changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the currency of any relevant jurisdiction may affect our ability to achieve such objective. For instance, the exchange rates between the Turkish lira or the Indian rupee and the U.S. dollar has changed substantially in the last two decades and may fluctuate substantially in the future. If the U.S. dollar declines in value against the relevant currency, any business combination will be more expensive and therefore more difficult to complete. Furthermore, we may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and the relevant currency, which may make it more difficult to consummate a business combination.
Because foreign law could govern almost all of our material agreements, we may not be able to enforce our rights within such jurisdiction or elsewhere, which could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
Foreign law could govern almost all of our material agreements. The target business may not be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available outside of such foreign jurisdiction’s legal system. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws and contracts in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. Judiciaries in such jurisdiction may also be relatively inexperienced in enforcing corporate and commercial law, leading to a higher than usual degree of uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation. As a result, the inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business and business opportunities.
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Corporate governance standards in foreign countries may not be as strict or developed as in the United States and such weakness may hide issues and operational practices that are detrimental to a target business.
General corporate governance standards in some countries are weak in that they do not prevent business practices that cause unfavorable related party transactions, over-leveraging, improper accounting, family company interconnectivity and poor management. Local laws often do not go far to prevent improper business practices. Therefore, shareholders may not be treated impartially and equally as a result of poor management practices, asset shifting, conglomerate structures that result in preferential treatment to some parts of the overall company, and cronyism. The lack of transparency and ambiguity in the regulatory process also may result in inadequate credit evaluation and weakness that may precipitate or encourage financial crisis. In our evaluation of a business combination we will have to evaluate the corporate governance of a target and the business environment, and in accordance with United States laws for reporting companies take steps to implement practices that will cause compliance with all applicable rules and accounting practices. Notwithstanding these intended efforts, there may be endemic practices and local laws that could add risk to an investment we ultimately make and that result in an adverse effect on our operations and financial results.
Companies in foreign countries may be subject to accounting, auditing, regulatory and financial standards and requirements that differ, in some cases significantly, from those applicable to public companies in the United States, which may make it more difficult or complex to consummate a business combination. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a foreign company may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had such financial statements been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and there may be substantially less publicly available information about companies in certain jurisdictions than there is about comparable United States companies. Moreover, foreign companies may not be subject to the same degree of regulation as are United States companies with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, shareholder proxy requirements and the timely disclosure of information.
Legal principles relating to corporate affairs and the validity of corporate procedures, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and shareholders’ rights for foreign corporations may differ from those that may apply in the U.S., which may make the consummation of a business combination with a foreign company more difficult. We therefore may have more difficulty in achieving our business objective.
Because a foreign judiciary may determine the scope and enforcement of almost all of our target business’ material agreements under the law of such foreign jurisdiction, we may be unable to enforce our rights inside and outside of such jurisdiction.
The law of a foreign jurisdiction may govern almost all of our target business’ material agreements, some of which may be with governmental agencies in such jurisdiction. We cannot assure you that the target business or businesses will be able to enforce any of their material agreements or that remedies will be available outside of such jurisdiction. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements may have a material adverse impact on our future operations.
A slowdown in economic growth in the markets that our business target operates in may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, the value of its equity shares and the trading price of our shares following our business combination.
Following the business combination, our results of operations and financial condition may be dependent on, and may be adversely affected by, conditions in financial markets in the global economy, and, particularly in the markets where the business operates. The specific economy could be adversely affected by various factors such as political or regulatory action, including adverse changes in liberalization policies, business corruption, social disturbances, terrorist attacks and other acts of violence or war, natural calamities, interest rates, inflation, commodity and energy prices and various other factors which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, value of our equity shares and the trading price of our shares following the business combination.
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Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by current global geopolitical conditions resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the geopolitical instability resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine and to Israel, increasing geopolitical tensions among a number of nations. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Israel and its neighboring states and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing conflicts are highly unpredictable, they could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions and increased cyber-attacks against U.S. companies. Additionally, any resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
Any of the abovementioned factors, or any other negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict and subsequent sanctions or related actions, could adversely affect our search for an initial business combination and any target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination. The extent and duration of the ongoing conflicts, resulting sanctions and any related market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial, particularly if current or new sanctions continue for an extended period of time or if geopolitical tensions result in expanded military operations on a global scale. Any such disruptions may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this section. If these disruptions or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
Regional hostilities, terrorist attacks, communal disturbances, civil unrest and other acts of violence or war may result in a loss of investor confidence and a decline in the value of our equity shares and trading price of our shares following our business combination.
Terrorist attacks, civil unrest and other acts of violence or war, including the conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East or elsewhere, may negatively affect the markets in which we may operates our business following our business combination and also adversely affect the worldwide financial markets. In addition, the countries we will focus on, have from time to time experienced instances of civil unrest and hostilities among or between neighboring countries. Any such hostilities and tensions may result in investor concern about stability in the region, which may adversely affect the value of our equity shares and the trading price of our shares following our business combination. Events of this nature in the future, as well as social and civil unrest, could influence the economy in which our business target operates, and could have an adverse effect on our business, including the value of equity shares and the trading price of our shares following our business combination.
The occurrence of natural disasters may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations following our business combination.
The occurrence of natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and pandemic disease may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations following our business combination. The potential impact of a natural disaster on our results of operations and financial position is speculative, and would depend on numerous factors. The extent and severity of these natural disasters determines their effect on a given economy. Although the long-term effect of diseases such as the H5N1 “avian flu,” or H1N1, the swine flu, cannot currently be predicted, previous occurrences of avian flu and swine flu had an adverse effect on the economies of those countries in which they were most prevalent. An outbreak of a communicable disease in our market could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations following our business combination. We cannot assure you that natural disasters will not occur in the future or that its business, financial condition and results of operations will not be adversely affected.
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Any downgrade of credit ratings of the country in which the company we acquire does business may adversely affect our ability to raise debt financing following our business combination.
No assurance can be given that any rating organization will not downgrade the credit ratings of the sovereign foreign currency long-term debt of the country in which our business target operates, which reflect an assessment of the overall financial capacity of the government of such country to pay its obligations and its ability to meet its financial commitments as they become due. Any downgrade could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our future variable rate debt and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms in the future. This could have an adverse effect on our financial condition following our business combination.
If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of a state of the United States, it is possible a 1% U.S. federal excise tax will be imposed on us in connection with redemptions of our ordinary shares after or in connection with such initial business combination.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 became law in the United States, which, among other things, imposes a 1% excise tax on the fair market value of certain repurchases (including certain redemptions) of stock by publicly traded domestic (i.e., United States) corporations (and certain non-U.S. corporations treated as “surrogate foreign corporations”). The excise tax will apply to stock repurchases occurring in 2023 and beyond. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares of stock repurchased at the time of the repurchase. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out, and prevent the abuse or avoidance of, the excise tax; however, only limited guidance has been issued to date. As an entity incorporated as a British Virgin Islands exempted company, the 1% excise tax is not expected to apply to redemptions of our ordinary shares, including redemptions related to extension votes, a business combination in which we remain a British Virgin Islands exempted company or otherwise (absent any regulations and other additional guidance that may be issued in the future with retroactive effect). Even in the event such a tax was to be imposed, the proceeds placed in the trust account and the interest earned thereon shall not be used to pay for possible excise tax.
However, in connection with an initial business combination involving a company organized under the laws of the United States, it is possible that we domesticate and continue as a Delaware corporation prior to certain redemptions and, because our securities are trading on the NASDAQ, it is possible that we will be subject to the excise tax with respect to any subsequent redemptions, including redemptions related to extension votes or in connection with the initial business combination, that are treated as repurchases for this purpose (other than, pursuant to recently issued guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, redemptions in complete liquidation of the company). In all cases, the extent of the excise tax that may be incurred will depend on a number of factors, including the fair market value of our stock redeemed, the extent such redemptions could be treated as dividends and not repurchases, and the content of any regulations and other additional guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury that may be issued and applicable to the redemptions. Issuances of stock by a repurchasing corporation in a year in which such corporation repurchases stock may reduce the amount of excise tax imposed with respect to such repurchase. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not the shareholders from which stock is repurchased. The imposition of the excise tax as a result of redemptions in connection with the initial business combination could, however, reduce the amount of cash available to pay redemptions or reduce the cash contribution to the target business in connection with our initial business combination, which could cause the other shareholders of the combined company to economically bear the impact of such excise tax.
Returns on investment in foreign companies may be decreased by withholding and other taxes.
Our investments will incur tax risk unique to investment in developing economies. Income that might otherwise not be subject to withholding of local income tax under normal international conventions may be subject to withholding of income tax in a developing economy. Additionally, proof of payment of withholding taxes may be required as part of the remittance procedure. Any withholding taxes paid by us on income from our investments in such country may or may not be creditable on our income tax returns. We intend to seek to minimize any withholding tax or local tax otherwise imposed. However, there is no assurance that the foreign tax authorities will recognize application of such treaties to achieve a minimization of such tax. We may also elect to create foreign subsidiaries to effect the business combinations to attempt to limit the potential tax consequences of a business combination.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements contained in this prospectus are forward-looking in nature. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “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 complete our initial business combination; | |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; | |
| ● | our 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, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; | |
| ● | 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 acquisition 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; 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 6,000,000 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 units will be used as set forth in the following table.
| Without Over-Allotment Option | Over-Allotment Option Exercised | |||||||
| Gross proceeds | ||||||||
| Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | $ | 60,000,000 | $ | 69,000,000 | ||||
| Gross proceeds from private placement units offered in the private placement | 2,200,000 | 2,380,000 | ||||||
| Total gross proceeds | $ | 62,200,000 | $ | 71,380,000 | ||||
| Offering expenses(2) | ||||||||
| Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | $ | 1,200,000 | $ | 1,380,000 | ||||
| Legal fees and expenses | 250,000 | 250,000 | ||||||
| Accounting fees and expenses | 30,000 | 30,000 | ||||||
| SEC/FINRA Expenses | 12,000 | 12,000 | ||||||
| NASDAQ listing and filing fees | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||
| Printing and engraving expenses | 30,000 | 30,000 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous(4) | 128,000 | 128,000 | ||||||
| Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | $ | 500,000 | $ | 500,000 | ||||
| Proceeds after offering expenses | $ | 60,500,000 | $ | 69,500,000 | ||||
| Held in trust account(3) | $ | 60,000,000 | $ | 69,000,000 | ||||
| % of public offering size | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||
| Not held in trust account(2) | $ | 500,000 | $ | 500,000 | ||||
The following table shows the use of the approximately $500,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account.
| Amount | % of Total | |||||||
| Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination | $ | 105,000 | 21 | % | ||||
| Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations(5) | 75,000 | 15 | % | |||||
| Payment for office space, administrative and support services | 60,000 | 12 | % | |||||
| NASDAQ continued listing fees | 50,000 | 10 | % | |||||
| Director and Officer liability insurance premiums | 200,000 | 40 | % | |||||
| Other miscellaneous expenses(6) | 10,000 | 2 | % | |||||
| Total | $ | 500,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||
| (1) | Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
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| (2) | A portion of the offering expenses and post offering expenses have been paid or will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $500,000 as described elsewhere in this prospectus. As of May 31, 2024, we had received advances of $213,262 which advances will be deemed borrowed under the Second Promissory Note with our sponsor. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $500,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account, or in the event a business combination is completed from funds not redeemed. In the event that offering expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account, including additional loan amounts from our sponsor. |
| (3) | The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 2.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released by the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. |
| (4) | Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates. |
| (5) | These expenses are estimates for the first 12 months following the closing of this offering only. In the event that we extend the time to consummate our initial business combination (or if the Event occurs), as set forth herein, such expenses may increase. In the event that we extend the time to consummate our initial business combination, as set forth herein, such expenses may increase. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an acquisition target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. Based on current interest rates, we would expect approximately $3,198,000 to be available to us to pay our tax obligations, if any, from interest earned on the funds held in the trust account over 12 months following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. Government Treasury bills, however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. This estimate assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option and an interest rate of 5.33% per annum based upon current yields of securities in which the trust account may be invested. 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 $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans by our sponsor, affiliate of our sponsor, or certain of 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. |
| (6) | Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing. |
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The rules of the NASDAQ 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 units, $60,000,000 (or $69,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the consummation of this offering, be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 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. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $3,198,000 per year, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option and an interest rate of 5.33% per year, following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months or 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), subject to applicable law.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt 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 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 their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor (Trending Management Corporation) a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. 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 us or pay expenses on our behalf up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of May 31, 2024, we had received advances of $213,262 from our sponsor which are included in the amounts which may be due under the Second Promissory Note in the principal amount of up to $500,000 issued to our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2024 or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $500,000 allotted to the payment of offering expenses.
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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 $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. 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.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If 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. 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, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination unless we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). In addition, the agreement for our initial 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 shareholders 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 shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months or 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
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 their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares or private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial 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 fail to 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 and we will only pay such dividend out of our available funds as permitted under British Virgin Islands law. In addition, our Board of Directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends or splits in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering, in which case we will effect a share split or dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our sponsor prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private placement units). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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The difference between the public offering price per ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the rights included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of rights, including the private units, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding ordinary shares.
At May 31, 2024, our net tangible book value was ($232,908), or approximately ($0.14) per share. For the purposes of the dilution calculation, in order to present the maximum estimated dilution as a result of this offering, we have assumed the issuance of 0.10 of a share for each right outstanding, as such issuance will occur upon a business combination without the payment of additional consideration. After giving effect to the sale of 6,000,000 ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 6,900,000 shares of ordinary share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 600,000 shares of ordinary share issued for 6,000,000 rights, and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering not reimbursable by the underwriters, our pro forma net tangible book value at May 31, 2024 would have been $(1,142,080) or $(0.49) per share (or $(0.51) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the 6,000,000 shares of ordinary share that may be redeemed for cash, or 6,900,000 shares of ordinary share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(0.35) per share (or $(0.37) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our initial shareholders as of the date of this prospectus and dilution to public shareholders from this offering will be $9.58 per share (or $9.60 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to our public shareholders on a per-share basis, based on the assumptions described in the preceding paragraph.
| No exercise of over-allotment option | Exercise of over-allotment option in full | |||||||
| Public offering price | $ | 9.09 | $ | 9.09 | ||||
| Net tangible book value before this offering | $ | (0.14 | ) | $ | (0.14 | ) | ||
| Decrease attributable to new investors | $ | (0.35 | ) | $ | (0.37 | ) | ||
| Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering | $ | (0.49 | ) | $ | (0.51 | ) | ||
| Dilution to public shareholders | $ | 9.58 | $ | 9.60 | ||||
| Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | 105.39 | % | 105.61 | % | ||||
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 $60,000,000 because holders of up to 100% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per-share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or shareholders meeting, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of ordinary shares sold in this offering).
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The following table sets forth information with respect to our sponsor and the public shareholders:
| Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | per Share | ||||||||||||||||
| Sponsor (founder shares) | 1,500,000 | (1) | 17.98 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.04 | % | $ | 0.017 | ||||||||||
| Shareholders with respect to private placement shares | 242,000 | (2) | 2.90 | % | 2,200,000 | 3.54 | % | $ | 9.09 | |||||||||||
| Public shareholders | 6,600,000 | (3) | 79.12 | % | 60,000,000 | 96.42 | % | $ | 9.09 | |||||||||||
| Total | 8,342,000 | 100.00 | % | $ | 62,225,000 | 100.00 | % | |||||||||||||
| (1) | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 225,000 founder shares have been forfeited by our sponsor as a result thereof. |
| (2) | Assumes the issuance of an additional 25,000 shares underlying the rights included in the private placement units. |
| (3) | Assumes the issuance of an additional 600,000 shares underlying the rights issued to public shareholders. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
| Without Over-allotment | With Over-allotment | |||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||
| Net tangible book deficit before this offering | $ | (232,908 | ) | $ | (232,908 | ) | ||
| Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement units, net of expenses | 60,500,000 | 69,500,000 | ||||||
| Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | 90,828 | 90,828 | ||||||
| Less: Deferred underwriters’ commissions payable | (1,500,000 | ) | (1,725,000 | ) | ||||
| Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption | (60,000,000 | ) | (69,000,000 | ) | ||||
| (1,142,080 | ) | (1,367,080 | ) | |||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||
| Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | 1,725,000 | 1,725,000 | ||||||
| Less: Shares of ordinary share forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | (225,000 | ) | - | |||||
| Ordinary shares included in the units offered | 6,000,000 | 6,900,000 | ||||||
| Ordinary shares underlying the public rights | 600,000 | 690,000 | ||||||
| Ordinary shares included in the private placement units | 220,000 | 238,000 | ||||||
| Ordinary shares underlying the private placement rights | 22,000 | 23,800 | ||||||
| Less: Shares subject to redemption | (6,000,000 | ) | (6,900,000 | ) | ||||
| 2,342,000 | 2,676,800 | |||||||
| (1) | Assumes issuance of an additional 600,000 shares underlying the rights issued to public shareholders. |
| (2) | Assumes issuance of an additional 22,000 shares underlying the rights included in the private placement units. |
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The following table sets forth our capitalization at May 31, 2024, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 6,000,000 units in this offering for $60,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 220,000 private placement units for $2,200,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
| As at May 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | $ | - | $ | 1,500,000 | ||||
| Accrued liabilities | 23,029 | - | ||||||
| Notes payable to related party(2) | 213,262 | - | ||||||
| Ordinary shares, no par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 6,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3) | - | 60,000,000 | ||||||
| Shareholders’ equity: | ||||||||
| Ordinary shares, no par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 1,725,000 shares issued and outstanding actual; 1,720,000(4) shares issued and outstanding (excluding 6,000,000 shares subject to possible conversion/tender) (as adjusted), respectively | 25,000 | 2,225,000 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (167,080 | ) | (3,367,080 | ) | ||||
| Total shareholders’ deficit | $ | (142,080 | ) | $ | (1,142,080 | ) | ||
| Total capitalization | $ | 94,211 | $ | 60,357,920 | ||||
| (1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 225,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account and the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account. |
| (2) | Our sponsor has agreed to loan us or pay expenses on our behalf up to $500,000 represented by an unsecured promissory note, which funds shall be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of May 31, 2024, we had received advances of $213,262 which amount will be subsumed into the note. |
| (3) | Represents net proceeds allocated to the public shares less the allocated transaction costs related to this offering. The ordinary shares offered to the public contains redemption rights that make them redeemable by our public shareholders. Accordingly, they are classified within temporary equity in accordance with the guidance provided in ASC 480-10-S99-3A and will be subsequently credited at redemption value. |
| (4) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and, consequently, forfeiture of an aggregate of 225,000 founder shares by our sponsor. |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a British Virgin Islands business company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock 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, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), our shares, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares in a business combination:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change of 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; |
| ● | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our ordinary shares. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities, 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, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| ● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| ● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| ● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
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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 expect to generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and marketable securities held in the trust account after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of May 31, 2024 we had $400 in cash, and a working capital deficit of $232,908. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares to our sponsor and up to $500,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. On March 31, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the former Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000 (the “First Promissory Note”). The First Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the consummation of the offering. On December 28, 2021, the Company amended the First Promissory Note to extend the due date to the consummation of the initial public offering. On May 24, 2024, the former Sponsor assigned all the rights and obligations under the First Promissory Note to the Sponsor. On May 24, 2024, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $500,000 (the “Second Promissory Note”). The Second Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2024 or (ii) the consummation of the offering. In connection with this assignment, the existing Sponsor paid to the former Sponsor the principal amount outstanding under the First Promissory Note as of the date of the assignment, the First Promissory Note was cancelled, and such amount was deemed a draw under the Second Promissory Note. As of May 31, 2024, the Company had received advances of $213,262 and as of May 31, 2023, the Company had received advances of $161,351 from our sponsor which are included in the amounts which will be due under the Second Promissory Note. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $500,000 and underwriting commissions of $1,200,000 (or $1,380,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)), and (ii) the sale of the private placement units for a purchase price of $2,200,000 (or $2,380,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $60,000,000 (or $69,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $60,000,000 or $6,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, including $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions) will be deposited into a non-interest bearing trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. The remaining $500,000 (or $500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $500,000 we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $500,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes, if any. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. To the extent that our ordinary 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 paying estimated offering expenses and prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us approximately $500,000 (or $500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) 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 to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor 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. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. 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.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $105,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $75,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $50,000 for NASDAQ and other regulatory fees; $60,000 for office space, administrative and support services; $200,000 for Director and Officer liability insurance premiums; and approximately $10,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves net of estimated interest income.
These amounts stated in the paragraph above 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 or loans from our sponsor 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 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.
Other than potential loans from our sponsor we do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination.
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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 May 31, 2025. 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 have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| ● | 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 auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 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.
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Related Party Transactions
Effective March 31, 2021, Greenland Asset Management Corporation, our former sponsor, was issued 1,437,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. On January 17, 2022, our former sponsor and the Company entered into Amended Securities Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the 1,437,000 founder shares were cancelled and 2,875,000 founder shares were issued to our former sponsor. On May 24, 2024, the Company and our former sponsor entered into Securities Repurchase Agreement, pursuant to which, the Company purchased back all the 2,875,000 founder shares for $25,000 and cancelled such shares. On May 24, 2024, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. As such, our sponsor will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable with respect to our ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares our sponsor at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private placement units). Our sponsor does not intend to purchase any units in this offering.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will also pay an affiliate of our sponsor (Trending Management Corporation) a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support 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.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of May 31, 2024 and 2023, we had received advances of $213,262 and $161,351, respectively, from our sponsor, which amount will be included as amounts owed under the Second Promissory Note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2024 or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $500,000 allocated to the payment of offering expenses.
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. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. 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.
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Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 private placement units (or 238,000 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one private placement share and one private placement right granting the holder thereof the right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private placement units held by them to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as our sponsor. Otherwise, these units will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our sponsor 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 units issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of May 31, 2024, 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, other than as disclosed below, any commitments or contractual obligations.
Leases
We have entered into a short-term month to month lease for office space at 405 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York which we utilize for our main offices in the United States. The cost per month is approximately $233. The amount of rent is paid by our sponsor pursuant to the administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company.” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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General
We are a blank check company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and incorporated for the purpose of acquiring, engaging in a share exchange, share reconstruction and amalgamation with, purchasing all or substantially all of the assets of, entering into contractual arrangements with, or engaging in any other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not identified any acquisition target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or indirectly, to identify any acquisition target.
Business Strategy
Our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to a particular geographic region, although we intend to focus on businesses that have a connection to the Asian market. We believe that we will add value to these businesses primarily by providing them with access to the U.S. capital markets.
We will seek to capitalize on the strength of our management team. Our team consists of experienced professionals and senior operating executives. Collectively, our officers and directors have decades of experience in mergers and acquisitions, and operating companies, in Asia. We believe we will benefit from their accomplishments, and specifically their current and recent activities with companies that have a connection to the Asian market, in identifying attractive acquisition opportunities. However, there is no assurance that we will complete a business combination.
We believe that the members of our management team and board of directors have valuable and applicable experiences for sourcing and analysing potential acquisition candidates across various industries and on an international basis. Our Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Pu has advised initial public offering and several M&A transactions. Among other experiences relative to sourcing and analysing potential business combination candidates, one of our directors, Mr. Hai Lin, has served as General Manager of Red 13 Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. since January 2015, where Mr. Lin is responsible for project development, execution of mergers & acquisition and corporate finance transactions. Mr. Jun Liu, one of our directors, also served on the board of Longevity Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: LOAC) and Golden Path Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: GPCO), which have successfully completed their De-SPAC transactions. Further, Mr. Ziqiang Zheng, one of our directors, serves on the board of Giant Oak Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company in its initial public offering process, is the co-founder and CEO of MIF China Services Limited and has acted as financial advisor to complete numerous M&A and financing transactions.
Investment Criteria
Our management team intends to focus on creating shareholder value by leveraging its experience in the management, operation and financing of businesses to improve the efficiency of operations while implementing strategies to scale revenue organically and/or through acquisitions. We have identified the following general criteria and guidelines, which we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we see justification to do so.
| ● | Middle-Market Growth Business. We will primarily seek to acquire one or more growth businesses with a total enterprise value of between $200,000,000 and $400,000,000. We believe that there are a substantial number of potential target businesses within this valuation range that can benefit from new capital for scalable operations to yield significant revenue and earnings growth. We currently do not intend to acquire either a start-up company (a company that has not yet established commercial operations) or a company with negative cash flow. |
| ● | Companies in Business Segments that are Strategically Significant to the Asian Markets. We will seek to acquire those businesses that are currently strategically significant in the Asian markets. Such sectors include: Internet and high technology, financial technology, clean energy, health care, consumer and retail, energy and resources, manufacturing and education. |
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| ● | Business with Revenue and Earnings Growth Potential. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential for significant revenue and earnings growth through a combination of both existing and new product development, increased production capacity, expense reduction and synergistic follow-on acquisitions resulting in increased operating leverage. |
| ● | Companies with Potential for Strong Free Cash Flow Generation. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential to generate strong, stable and increasing free cash flow. We intend to focus on one or more businesses that have predictable revenue streams and definable low working capital and capital expenditure requirements. We may also seek to prudently leverage this cash flow in order to enhance shareholder value. |
| ● | Benefit from Being a Public Company. We intend to only acquire a business or businesses that will benefit from being publicly traded and which can effectively utilize access to broader sources of capital and a public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company. |
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 sponsor and management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into an 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, as applicable, that we would file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent ownership, management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information which will be made available to us.
Sponsor Information
The sponsor is Trending Management Corporation, a British Virgin Islands business company. Although each of our officers and directors is a shareholder of our sponsor; only our Chairman, Wanjiao Pu, has voting securities in our sponsor and is the sole director of our sponsor and has the power to vote or dispose of the securities. On May 24, 2024, we entered into a subscription agreement, pursuant to which 1,725,000 founder shares were issued to the sponsor (up to 225,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). Thus, such parties may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if such parties had paid the full offering price for their founder shares.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
| Entity/Individual | Amount of Compensation to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Consideration Paid or to be Paid | ||||
| Trending Management Corporation | 1,725,000 Ordinary Shares | $ | 25,000 | |||
| 220,000 Private Placement Units | $ | 2,200,000 | ||||
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the rights included in the units. See the section titled “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Securities — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
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Pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered with us, each of our sponsor, directors and officers has agreed to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement units, as summarized in the table below.
| Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Natural Persons and Entities Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | |||
| Founder Shares | The founder shares will be released from the lockup (A) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of (i) six months after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (B) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the completion of our initial business combination; or in either case, earlier if after the completion of our initial business combination we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. | Trending Management Corporation
Wanjiao Pu
Chi Zhuang
Ziqiang Zheng
Jun Liu
Hai Lin | Transfers of the founder shares, private placement units and ordinary shares issued or issuable upon conversion of the private placement units and that are held by the sponsor, officers and directors are permitted (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of the sponsor, or any affiliates of the sponsor; (b) in the case of an individual, transfers by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family, to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, transfers by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) 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; (f) transfers in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of an initial business combination; (g) transfers by virtue of the laws of the British Virgin Islands or the sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization 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 subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination; and (i) transfers in connection with our initial business combination with our consent to any third party; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e), (h) and (i), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by the restrictions herein. | |||
| Private Placement Units | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination | Same as above |
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Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets
Our management team has developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships. We believe that the network of contacts and relationships of our management team and our sponsor will provide us with an important source of business combination opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment banking firms, private equity firms, consultants, accounting firms and business enterprises. We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors.
As more fully discussed in “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-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.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our Board of Directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our Board of Directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and/or private placement units 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 directors and officers presently has, and in the future any of our directors and our officers may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
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Initial Business Combination
The NASDAQ 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 balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) 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, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or 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. In the event that we were delisted from NASDAQ prior to completion of a business combination, we would not be subject to the NASDAQ rule requiring 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 balance in the trust account.
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 equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. We may acquire a business line, division or subsidiary or stand-alone assets that could allow us to constitute an operating business. The determination of whether or not to acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets will be dependent upon numerous factors, including satisfaction certain objectives of the target management team or target’s shareholders, the costs of any such proposed acquisition, our ability to constitute a viable business from any such assets, legal issues involving assignments of contracts or intellectual property assets, or for other reasons, many of which we cannot determine at this time and will be contingent upon negotiations with prospective targets. 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 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 valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
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.
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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. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for our shares or for a combination of our 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. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It 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 have a negative view of us since we are a blank check company, without an operating history, and there is uncertainty relating to our ability to obtain shareholder approval of our proposed initial business combination and retain sufficient funds in our trust account in connection therewith.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. 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 $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $60,000,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $1,500,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $69,000,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $1,725,000 of deferred underwriting fees 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 ratio. Additionally, because we are a public company or because a target business may be an attractive investment opportunity for third parties or be financially financeable through a through a third-party traditional lender, we may be able to obtain additional financing from third parties in a financing to satisfy cash needs of any target and its shareholders. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or additional financings 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 and its shareholders to fit their 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.
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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 units, our shares, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may, although we do not currently intend to, 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, start-up companies or companies with speculative business plans or excess leverage, 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 initial business combination or used for redemptions of our 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.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination
The NASDAQ 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 balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our 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. Our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our Board of Directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. In the event that we were delisted from NASDAQ prior to completion of a business combination, we would not be subject to the NASDAQ rule requiring 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 balance in the trust account.
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 or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or 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.
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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 a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it 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 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 the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| ● | 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 |
| ● | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
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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 such 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.
Under the NASDAQ’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| ● | we issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of ordinary shares then issued and outstanding (other than in a public offering); |
| ● | any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (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 ordinary shares could result in an increase in issued and outstanding ordinary shares 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. |
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
In the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares such persons may purchase. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares 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. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
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In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, 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 such purchases would 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 initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This 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 ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors 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 following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors 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 the business combination. Such persons would select the shareholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates 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, advisors 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, advisors 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.
Additionally, in the event our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares or rights from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
| ● | if our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates were to purchase shares from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
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| ● | our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
| ● | we would disclose in a Current Report on Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
| ● | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
| ● | the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates; |
| ● | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
| ● | the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates; and |
| ● | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
Ability to Extend Time to Complete Business Combination
We will have until 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) 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 12 months or 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to nine times, each by an additional one month (for a total of up to 21 months or 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and VStock Transfer LLC and Wilmington Trust National Association as trustee on the date of this prospectus, in order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $200,000 or $230,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share (for the entire 9 months period), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each extension. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor five days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for us to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had 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.
Our sponsor may extend the time frame for us to complete a business combination by up to an additional 9 months contingent upon our sponsor timely depositing the required amount of funds for each monthly extension. Holders of our securities will not have to right to approve or disapprove any such monthly extension. Further, holders of our securities will not have the right to seek or obtain redemption in connection with any extension of the time frame.
Any such payments from our sponsor to extend the time frame would be made in the form of a loan from our sponsor. The final and definitive terms of the loan in connection with any such loans have not yet been negotiated, but any such loan would be interest free and not repaid unless and until we complete a business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would expect to repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us or from funds which may be raised in any subsequent capital financing transaction which may be undertaken in connection with the completion of a business combination.
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Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.30 per public share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon the completion of 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. Shareholders will not be granted any right to redeem their securities in connection with any decision by us to extend the time frame to complete a business combination from 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) to up to 21 months or 24 months. 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 the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under NASDAQ rules, asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek shareholder approval 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 NASDAQ rules.
If a shareholder vote is not required 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 Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
| ● | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our 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.
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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 a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination (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. 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.
If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, 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. |
We expect that 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. 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.
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering, and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of a business combination.
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 upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an 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 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 ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
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Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, 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. 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 sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public 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 or our sponsor or its affiliates 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, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers and directors have, pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, waived their right to have any founder shares or public shares held by them redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. Unless any of our other affiliates acquires founder shares through a permitted transfer from an initial shareholder, and thereby becomes subject to the letter agreement, no such affiliate is subject to this waiver. However, to the extent any such affiliate acquires public shares in this offering or thereafter through open market purchases, it would be a public shareholder and restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to any Excess Shares.
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 (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/ Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such 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. 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. Given the relatively short exercise period, 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 $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.
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The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the shareholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or 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 initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 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).
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 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 complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 12-month (or up to 21-month) 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 (less up to $500,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ 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 our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under British Virgin 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 rights, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 12-month (or up to 21-month) time period.
Our sponsor may extend the time frame for us to complete a business combination by up to an additional 9 months contingent upon our sponsor timely depositing into the trust account the required amount of funds for each monthly extension. Holders of our securities will not have to right to approve or disapprove any such monthly extension. Further, holders of our securities will not have the right to seek or obtain redemption in connection with any extension of the time frame to complete a business combination.
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Any such payments from our sponsor to extend the time frame would be made in the form of a loan from our sponsor. The final and definitive terms of the loan in connection with any such loans have not yet been negotiated, but any such loan would be interest free and not repaid unless and until we complete a business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would expect to repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us or from funds which may be raised in any subsequent capital financing transaction which may be undertaken in connection with the completion of a business combination.
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 their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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). However, if our sponsor acquires 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 allotted 12-month or 15-month (or up to 21-month or 24-month) time period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would (i) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above), we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public 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 out of the $500,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $50,000 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 units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00 (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.30 per public share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). 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, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to 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 time frame, 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. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (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 who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, 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 their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. None of our other officers 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 in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to $500,000 from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, 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 $50,000). 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 exceed our estimate of $500,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $500,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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If at any time we are deemed insolvent for the purposes of the Insolvency Act (i.e. (i) we fail to comply with the requirements of a statutory demand that has not been set aside under section 157 of the Insolvency Act; (ii) execution or other process issued on a judgment, decree or order of a British Virgin Islands Court in favor of a creditor of the company is returned wholly or partly unsatisfied; or (iii) either the value of the company’s liabilities exceeds its assets, or the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due), we are required to immediately enter insolvent liquidation. In these circumstances, a liquidator will be appointed who will give notice to our creditors inviting them to submit their claims for payment, by notifying known creditors (if any) who have not submitted claims and by placing a public advertisement in at least one newspaper published in the British Virgin Islands newspaper and in at least one newspaper circulating in the location where the company has its principal place of business, and taking any other steps he considers appropriate, after which our assets would be distributed. Following the process of insolvent liquidation, the liquidator will complete its final report and accounts and will then notify the Registrar of Corporate Affairs in the British Virgin Islands (the “Registrar”). The liquidator may determine that he requires additional time to evaluate creditors’ claims (particularly if there is uncertainty over the validity or extent of the claims of any creditors). Also, a creditor or shareholder may file a petition with the British Virgin Islands Court which, if successful, may result in our liquidation being subject to the supervision of that court. Such events might delay distribution of some or all of our assets to our public shareholders. In such liquidation proceedings, the funds held in our trust account may be included in our estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any such claims deplete the trust account we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public shareholders the amounts otherwise payable to them.
If we are deemed insolvent, then there are also limited circumstances where prior payments made to shareholders or other parties may be deemed to be a “voidable transaction” for the purposes of the Insolvency Act. A voidable transaction would be, for these purposes, payments made as “unfair preferences” or “transactions at an undervalue.” Where a payment was a risk of being a voidable transaction, a liquidator appointed over an insolvent company could apply to the British Virgin Islands Court for an order, inter alia, for the transaction to be set aside as a voidable transaction in whole or in part.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), subject to applicable law. 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.
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
As set forth in the amended and restated memorandum of association, the objects for which we are established are unrestricted and we shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Act or as the same may be revised from time to time, or any other law of the British Virgin Islands.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections to our ordinary shareholders prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority (including if approved in connection with our initial business combination) of our outstanding ordinary shares attending and voting on such amendment.
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If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
| ● | prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
| ● | we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation or if we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, if a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination; |
| ● | if our initial business combination is not consummated within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and |
| ● | 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. |
In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may consummate our initial business combination only if approved by a majority of the ordinary shares voted by our shareholders at a duly held shareholders meeting.
Variation of Rights of Shares
As permitted by the Companies Act and our amended and restated memorandum of association, we may vary the rights attached to any class of shares only with: (i) in the case of the ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination, the consent of not less than a majority (including if for the purposes of approving, or in connection with, the consummation of our initial business combination) of the votes who are in attendance and vote at a meeting, or (ii) in the case of the preferred shares, 50% of the votes of shareholders who being so entitled attend and vote at a meeting of such shares, except, in each case where a greater majority is required under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or the Companies Act, provided that that for these purposes the creation, designation or issue of preferred shares with rights and privileges ranking in priority to an existing class of shares is deemed not to be a variation of the rights of such existing class and may in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association be effected by resolution of directors without shareholder approval.
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Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination.
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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).
| Redemptions in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by 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 share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.30 per public share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus)), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination or that we are otherwise exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), 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 either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases 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. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), 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 share), including interest (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. |
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| Redemptions in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by Our Affiliates | Redemptions if We Fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | ||||
| Impact to remaining shareholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our sponsor, who will be our only remaining shareholder after such redemptions. |
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Escrow of offering proceeds | The NASDAQ rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the private placement be deposited in a trust account. $60,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be deposited into a U.S. trust account established by our transfer agent VStock Transfer LLC with Wilmington Trust, National Association acting as trustee. | Approximately $60,000,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
| Investment of net proceeds | $60,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement units held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 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. |
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $50,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | ||
| Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | The NASDAQ 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 balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) 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 will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The ordinary shares and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Lucid Capital Markets, the representative of the underwriters, 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, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. 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. | No trading of the units or the underlying ordinary shares and rights would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| 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 as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, which interest shall be net of taxes payable, upon the completion of our initial business combination, 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 proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a 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 issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination | 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 | ||
| Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. |
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Business combination deadline | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or provided that our sponsor deposits into the trust account additional funds, up to 21 months or 24 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), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ 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 our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under British Virgin Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
| Release of funds | Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend and restate our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months or 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), subject to applicable law. The Company will instruct the Trustee to pay amounts from the trust account directly to redeeming holders. | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. |
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| 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 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. | ||
| 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 (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such 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. | 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. |
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Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, 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 us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding rights, 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.
Conflicts of Interest
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future any of our directors and our officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
Indemnity
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (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 to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their 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 obligations.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 405 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10174. The cost for this space of $233 per month is included in the $10,000 per month fee that we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. Our sponsor also will make available to us additional office facilities in China which costs would be included in the administrative services agreement entered into with our sponsor. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
As of the effective date of this prospectus, we will have only two officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that our officers or any other 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.
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Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, ordinary shares and rights 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 auditors.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, U.S. GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with 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. 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 May 31, 2025 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Prior to the 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.
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 $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
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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Directors, Director Nominees and Officers
Upon consummation of this offering, our directors and executive officers will be as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Wanjiao Pu | 31 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Chi Zhuang | 35 | Chief Financial Officer and Director | ||
| Ziqiang Zheng | 52 | Director | ||
| Jun Liu | 53 | Director | ||
| Hai Lin | 57 | Director |
Wanjiao Pu has served as our Chairwoman of the board of director and Chief Executive Officer since April 2024. Ms. Pu currently serves as in-house counsel at Beijing Medlinker Tech Co., Ltd. where she started in November 2023. She worked as an in-house counsel at ZYSF Investment Co., Ltd., where she was responsible for Merger & Acquisition transactions, litigation and compliance matters from July 2022 to August 2023. From August 2016 to August 2020, Ms. Pu was actively involved in various investment projects as the in-house counsel at Puhui Wealth Investment Management Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PHCF). In that capacity, she handled initial public offering transaction, convertible bond issuance matters and financial licenses applications before the financial authorities of Hong Kong and mainland China. Ms. Pu started her career as a legal manager at Forest Eternal Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Guangdong Rongtai Industry Co., Ltd. (SH: 600589). She received a bachelor’s degree in finance and law from China Women’s University in June 2015.
Chi Zhuang has been serving as our Chief Financial Officer and a member of our board of directors since April 2024. Mr. Zhuang previously served as our advisor since August 2022. From November 2021 to September 2022, Mr. Zhuang served as advisor of Golden Path Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, and advised the De-SPAC transaction for Golden Path. Mr. Zhuang was as a senior investment analyst at HakuCapital Global Investment Advisors, a multi-strategy investment firm based in Hong Kong, from May 2019 to November 2021. Mr. Zhuang started his career as an equity research associate at Oppenheimer Co. Inc. in New York in 2014. Mr. Zhuang received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Marquette University in 2014 and was a member of the AIM program.
Ziqiang Zheng has served as one of our independent directors since July 2024. Mr. Zheng served as Chief Operating Officer of Greenland Acquisition Corporation from July 2018 to October 2019. He has served as the Co-founder and CEO of MIF China Services Limited since January 2015. Previously, Mr. Zheng served as an Executive Director at JP Morgan from October 2011 to December 2014, Vice President at Fullerton Financial Holdings from November 2006 to September 2011, Assistant President at Beijing Equity Exchange from December 2003 to October 2006, and Senior Manager at CITIC Securities from July 2000 to December 2003. Mr. Zheng acted as financial advisor to complete numerous M&A and financing transactions, including Shenzhen Energy Group’s acquisition of Shen Neng Energy Management Co., Ltd. for RMB 7.6 billion, JP Morgan’s investment in China’s Bridge Trust Company, FFH’s acquisition of Yantai Commercial Bank and CITIC Guoan Group’s acquisition of Hunan Province Cable TV Networks. He also served as member of the board of directors of Giant Oak Acquisition Corporation. Mr. Zheng holds a Bachelor of Science from Beijing Normal University and a Master and a Ph.D. degree of Economics from Renmin University of China.
Jun Liu has served as one of our independent directors since March 2021. Mr. Liu has been an independent director of Golden Path Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: GPCO) since November 2020 and was an independent director of Longevity Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: LOAC) from August 2018 to March 2021. Mr. Liu has served as the president of Beijing Wanfeng Xingye Investment Management Co., Ltd. an investment company in China, since January 2014. From 2004 to January 2014, he served as the president of Zhongansheng Investment Consulting Co., Ltd. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Liu served as the vice president of Beijing Xingyun Co., Ltd. From 1999 to 2002, Mr. Liu was the CEO of Weixin (China) Venture Investment Co., Ltd. and the director of Venture Capital Research Center of Renmin University. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Liu served as government official in the State Auditing Administration. Mr. Liu received his Bachelor of Finance and Accounting degree from Wuhan University in 1989 and received his MBA degree from Renmin University China in 1999. His investment portfolios cover wide range of sectors, including TMT, education, clean energy, technology, and chemical industries. We believe Mr. Liu is qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive financial, investment and mergers and acquisition experiences and the extensive network he has established throughout his career.
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Hai Lin has served as one of our independent directors since March 2021. Mr. Lin has been the General Manager of Red 13 Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. since January 2015, where Mr. Lin is responsible for project development and execution of M&A and corporate financing transactions. From October 2010 to December 2014, Mr. Lin served as Director and Vice President of Goral Sky Investment Co., Ltd., where Mr. Lin was responsible for advising Chinese companies going public in US capital markets. From January 2007 to September 2010, Mr. Lin served as General Manager of Longtou Investment (China) Limited, a firm specialized in advising Chinese companies going public in US capital markets. From January 2004 to December 2006, Mr. Lin served as Vice President of Pacific Net Inc. (Nasdaq: PACT), where Mr. Lin was responsible for investor relationship, public filings under the Securities and Exchange Act, mergers and acquisitions related activity and corporate finance matters.
Number, Terms of Office and Election of Officers and Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our Board of Directors will consist of five (5) members. Each of our directors will hold office for a two-year term. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, any vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board or by a majority of the holders of our founder shares.
Our officers are elected by the Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our Board of Directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, Treasurer 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 who has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have three “independent directors” as defined in the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our board has determined that each of Messrs. Zheng, Lin and Liu are independent directors under applicable SEC and NASDAQ rules. Following the completion of our initial public offering, our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors have received any cash or non-cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on the NASDAQ through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. 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.
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 tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time such materials are distributed, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent 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 the 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.
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Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms part, our Board of Directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating committee. Each committee will operate under a charter that has been approved by our board and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, NASDAQ rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and NASDAQ rules require that the compensation committee and nominating committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the Board of Directors. The members of our audit committee will initially be Messrs. Ziqiang Zheng, Jun Liu and Hai Lin. Mr. Liu will serve as Chairperson.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Liu qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
Effective upon the date of our registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, 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 auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| ● | pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| ● | reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors 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 auditors; |
| ● | 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 auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’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 discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the Board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K; |
| ● | discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements; |
| ● | 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 auditors, 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. |
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Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the Board of Directors. The members of our Compensation Committee will be Messrs. Ziqiang Zheng, Jun Liu and Hai Lin. Mr. Lin will serve as chairman of the compensation committee. We will simultaneously 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’s based on such evaluation; |
| ● | reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other officers; |
| ● | reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
| ● | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
| ● | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| ● | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
| ● | producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
| ● | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NASDAQ and the SEC.
Nominating Committee
Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Messrs. Ziqiang Zheng, Jun Liu and Hai Lin. Mr. Zheng will serve as chairman of the Nomination committee. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and others.
Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees
The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:
| ● | should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service; |
| ● | should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and |
| ● | should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the stockholders. |
The Nominating Committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by stockholders and other persons.
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Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, (i) as a member of the compensation committee or Board of Directors of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our compensation committee, or (ii) as a member of the compensation committee of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our Board of Directors.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our form of Code of Ethics and our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating committee charters as exhibits to the registration statement prior to its effectiveness. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Under British Virgin Islands law, the directors owe fiduciary duties at both common law and under statute, including a statutory duty to act honestly, in good faith and with a view to the company’s best interests. When exercising powers or performing duties as a director, the director shall exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonable director would exercise in the circumstances taking into account, without limitation the nature of the company; the nature of the decision; and the position of the director and the nature of the responsibilities undertaken by him. In exercising the powers of a director, the directors shall exercise their powers for a proper purpose and shall not act or agree to the company acting in a manner that contravenes our memorandum and articles of association or the Companies Act.
Each of our directors and officers presently has, and in the future any of our directors and our officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our 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. For a complete description of our management’s other affiliations, see “— Directors and Officers.” |
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| ● | Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to our founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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). If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement units and underlying securities will be worthless. With certain limited exceptions, 50% of the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until the earlier of (i) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, 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 units and underlying securities will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor 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 rights 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. |
| ● | 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. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
| Individual(1) | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Wanjiao Pu | Beijing Medlinker Tech Co., Ltd. | Health Care | Legal Counsel | |||
| Chi Zhuang | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||
| Jun Liu | Beijing Wanfeng Xingye Investment Management Co., Ltd. | Private Equity | Managing Partner | |||
| Hai Lin | Red 13 Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. | Private Equity | General Manager | |||
| Ziqiang Zheng | MIF China Services Limited Giant Oak Acquisition Corporation | Financial Services Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Chief Executive Officer Director |
| (1) | Each of the entities listed in this table has priority and preference relative to our company with respect to the performance by each individual listed in this table of his obligations and the presentation by each such individual of business opportunities. |
Accordingly, if any of the above officers or directors become aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the above entities 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, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law. We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination, because the specific focuses of a majority of these entities differ from our focus and the type or size of the transaction that such companies would most likely consider are of a size and nature substantially different than what we are targeting.
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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 such a company, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them (and their permitted transferees will agree) and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, subject to certain limitations, the company shall indemnify its directors and officers against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with legal, administrative or investigative proceedings. Such indemnity only applies if the person acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the company and, in the case of criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe that their conduct was unlawful. The decision of the directors as to whether the person acted honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the company and as to whether the person had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful and is, in the absence of fraud, sufficient for the purposes of the memorandum and articles of association, unless a question of law is involved. The termination of any proceedings by any judgment, order, settlement, conviction or the entering of a nolle prosequi does not, by itself, create a presumption that the person did not act honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the company or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
We may enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our memorandum and articles of association. Our memorandum and articles of association also will permit us to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any officer or director who at the request of the Company is or was serving as a director or officer of, or in any other capacity is or was acting for, another company or a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against the person and incurred by the person in that capacity, whether or not the company has or would have had the power to indemnify the person against the liability as provided in the 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.
These provisions may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against 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 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 issued and outstanding ordinary shares; |
| ● | each of our officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially own ordinary shares; and |
| ● | all our officers, directors and director nominees 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 any ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of rights as these rights are not convertible, within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
The below assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 225,000 founder shares, and that there are 7,720,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
| Prior to Offering | After Offering(2) | |||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares(2) | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(3) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | ||||||||||||
| Trending Management Corporation(4) | 1,725,000 | 100.0 | % | 1,720,000 | 22.28 | % | ||||||||||
| Wanjiao Pu | 1,725,000 | 100.0 | % | 1,720,000 | 22.28 | % | ||||||||||
| Chi Zhuang(5) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Jun Liu(5) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Hai Lin(5) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Ziqiang Zheng | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| All directors and officers as a group (5 individuals) | 1,725,000 | 100.0 | % | 1,720,000 | 22.28 | % | ||||||||||
| * | Less than one percent |
| (1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 405 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10174. |
| (2) | Based on 1,725,000 ordinary shares immediately prior to this offering. |
| (3) | Includes the 220,000 private placement units to be purchased by our sponsor simultaneously with the consummation of this offering and does not include an additional 18,000 units that would be purchased in the event that the over-allotment is exercised by the underwriters. |
| (4) | Represents shares held by our sponsor. Each of our officers and directors is a shareholder of our sponsor; however, only our Chairman has voting securities in our sponsor and is the sole director of our sponsor and has the power to vote or dispose of the securities. |
| (5) | Such individual does not beneficially own any of our ordinary shares. However, such individual has a pecuniary interest in our ordinary shares through his ownership of shares of our sponsor. |
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Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 units (or 238,000 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,200,000, or $2,380,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each unit consists of one private placement share and one private placement right granting the holder thereof the right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination. The purchase price of the private placement units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account pending our completion of our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement units and underlying securities will be worthless. The private placement units are subject to the transfer restrictions described below.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units
The founder shares, private placement units and any underlying securities are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (i) in the case of (A) 50% of the founder shares, until the earlier of (x) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (z) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (B) the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, 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, and (ii) in the case of the private placement units and the underlying securities, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our sponsor’s officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) in the event of our liquidation prior to our completion of our initial business combination; or (f) by virtue of the laws of the British Virgin Islands or our sponsor’s constitutional documents upon dissolution of our sponsor; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement units, and units that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans (and any securities underlying the private placement units and the working capital loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Effective March 31, 2021, Greenland Asset Management Corporation, our former sponsor, purchased an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our former sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. On January 17, 2022, our former sponsor and the Company entered into an Amended Securities Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the 1,437,000 founder shares were cancelled and 2,875,000 founder shares were issued to our former sponsor. On May 24, 2024, the Company and our former sponsor entered into Securities Repurchase Agreement, pursuant to which, the Company purchased back all the 2,875,000 founder shares for $25,000 and cancelled such shares. On May 24, 2024, our new sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Our sponsor will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and taking into account ownership of the private placement units). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares of our sponsor prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private placement units).
Our sponsor (and/or its designees) has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 private placement units (or 238,000 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each unit consists of one private placement share and one private placement right granting the holder thereof the right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination. The private placement units (including the underlying securities) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by it until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The purchase price of the private placement units will be used to ensure that the amount in trust is equal to 100% of the offering proceeds, to pay offering expenses and to provide for operating expenses following completion of the offering. See “Use of Proceeds”.
As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under British Virgin Islands law. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement with Trending Management Corporation, an affiliate of our sponsor, pursuant to which we will pay a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services to such affiliate. Each of our officers and directors is a shareholder of Trending Management Corporation. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of our initial business combination takes the maximum 21 months or 24 months, an affiliate of our sponsor will be paid a total of $210,000 or $240,000 ($10,000 per month) for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
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.
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As of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor (and/or its designees) has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of May 31, 2024, we had received advances in the amount of $213,262, which amount is included in the amounts that will be due under the Second Promissory Note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2024 or the closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the estimated $500,000 of funds reserved for the payment of offering expenses. The amount of the purchase price payable by our sponsor for the private placement units as described above and elsewhere may be offset by amounts which may be due under the note. The value of our sponsor’s interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.
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. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). The units would be identical to the placement units issued to the initial holder. 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.
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 have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement units and units issued upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), and the securities underlying the private placement units and the working capital loans (if any), which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders — 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 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 ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. A form of the code of ethics that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
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. A form of the audit committee charter that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
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These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. However, 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:
| ● | Repayment of up to an aggregate of up to $500,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| ● | Payment to an affiliate of our sponsor (Trending Management Corporation) of $10,000 per month, for 12 months or 15 months (or up to 21 months or 24 months), for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support; |
| ● | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
| ● | Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor 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 been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000 ordinary shares if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted (including 15,000 shares upon the closing of our initial business combination in respect of 150,000 rights included in such units). |
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.
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We are a British Virgin Islands business company (company number 1979092) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and common law of the British Virgin Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will be adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue an unlimited number of ordinary shares, no par value, and unlimited number of preference shares, no par value, divided into five (5) classes (A through E). The following description summarizes the material terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Public Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one ordinary share and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination.
The ordinary shares and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless the representative of our underwriters Lucid Capital Markets, 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 ordinary shares and rights 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 ordinary shares and rights.
In no event will the ordinary shares and rights be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering which will include this audited balance sheet, which is anticipated to take place three business days after the date of this prospectus. 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.
Private Placement Units
The private placement units (including the rights, or ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the rights) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by members of the sponsor or its permitted transferees. Otherwise, the private placement units have terms and provisions that are identical the units sold in this offering will be non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. In addition, for as long as the private placement units are held by our sponsor or its designees or affiliates, they may not be exercised after five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The price of the private placement units was determined in negotiations between our sponsor and the underwriter for this offering, which have recently consummated their initial public offerings.
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Ordinary Shares
As of the date of this prospectus, there are 1,725,000 ordinary shares outstanding, all of which are held of record by our initial shareholders. This includes an aggregate of 225,000 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by our sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full, so that our initial shareholders will own approximately 22.28% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering and giving effect to the private placement). Upon closing of this offering, 7,720,000 ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option).
If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor prior to this offering at 22.28% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private placement units).
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. 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 such matter voted on by our shareholders. Directors are elected for a term of two years. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the 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.
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. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.30 per public share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
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 issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. 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 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.
If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our sponsor, 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 and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ 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 our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under British Virgin 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 their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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). However, if our sponsor acquires 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.
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, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
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Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the 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) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below and (ii) 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 their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the timeframe set forth therein or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), 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. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, 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 and private placement 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 shareholder’s founder shares, we would need only 2,140,001, or approximately 35.7%, of the 6,000,000 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).
Our sponsor may extend the time frame for the Company to complete a business combination by up to an additional 9 months contingent upon our sponsor depositing the required amount of funds for each monthly extension into the trust account. For each monthly extension, holders of our securities will not have the right to approve or disapprove any such monthly extension. Further, holders of our securities will not have the right to seek or obtain redemption in connection with any such extension. Our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $200,000, or $230,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share (for an aggregate of 9 months), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each monthly extension.
With certain limited exceptions, 50% of the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until the earlier of (i) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, 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.
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Preferred Shares
Our memorandum and articles of association authorizes the creation and issuance without shareholder approval of an unlimited number of preferred shares divided into five classes, Class A through Class E each with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined by a resolution of our board of directors to amend the memorandum and articles of association to create such designations, rights and preferences. We have five classes of preferred shares to give us flexibility as to the terms on which each Class is issued. Unlike Delaware law, all shares of a single class must be issued with the same rights and obligations. Accordingly, starting with five classes of preferred shares will allow us to issue shares at different times on different terms. No preferred shares are currently issued or outstanding. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue preferred shares with dividend, liquidation, redemption, voting or other rights, which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of ordinary shares. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to our initial business combination, from issuing preferred shares which participate in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which vote as a class with the ordinary shares on our initial business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred shares to effect our initial business combination. In addition, the preferred shares could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preferred shares, we may do so in the future.
The rights of preferred shareholders, once the preferred shares are in issue, may only be amended by a resolution to amend our memorandum and articles of association provided such amendment is also approved by a separate resolution of a majority of the votes of preferred shareholders who being so entitled attend and vote at the class meeting of the relevant preferred class. If our preferred shareholders want us to hold a meeting of preferred shareholders (or of a class of preferred shareholders), they may requisition the directors to hold one upon the written request of preferred shareholders entitled to exercise at least 30 percent of the voting rights in respect of the matter (or class) for which the meeting is requested. Under British Virgin Islands law, we may not increase the required percentage to call a meeting above 30 percent.
Under the Companies Act there are no provisions which specifically prevent the issuance of preferred shares or any such other “poison pill” measures. Our memorandum and articles of association also do not contain any express prohibitions on the issuance of any preferred shares. Therefore, the directors, without the approval of the holders of ordinary shares, may issue preferred shares that have characteristics that may be deemed anti-takeover. Additionally, such a designation of shares may be used in connection with plans that are poison pill plans. However, as noted above under the Companies Act, a director in the exercise of his powers and performance of his duties is required to act honestly and in good faith in what the director believes to be the best interests of the company.
Register of Members
Under British Virgin Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there shall be entered therein:
| ● | the names and addresses of the members of the company and a statement of the number of each class and series of shares held by each member, which: |
| ● | 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 British Virgin 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 British Virgin 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 British Virgin Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the British Virgin 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 British Virgin Islands court.
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Rights
If we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will be the surviving entity, each holder of a right will receive one-tenth (1/10) of one ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination, even if the holder of such right redeemed all ordinary shares held by him, her or it in connection with the initial business combination or an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association with respect to our pre-business combination activities. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive his, her or its additional ordinary shares upon consummation of an initial business combination as the consideration related thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by investors in this offering. The shares issuable upon exchange of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of ours).
If we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary share basis, and each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the 1/10 share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the business combination. More specifically, the right holder will be required to indicate his, her or its election to convert the rights into underlying shares as well as to return the original rights certificates to us.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from our assets held outside of the trust account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless.
As soon as practicable upon the consummation of our initial business combination, we will direct registered holders of the rights to return their rights to our rights agent. Upon receipt of the rights, the rights agent will issue to the registered holder of such right(s) the number of full ordinary shares to which he, she or it is entitled. We will notify registered holders of the rights to deliver their rights to the rights agent promptly upon consummation of such business combination and have been informed by the rights agent that the process of exchanging their rights for ordinary shares should take no more than a matter of days. The foregoing exchange of rights is solely ministerial in nature and is not intended to provide us with any means of avoiding our obligation to issue the shares underlying the rights upon consummation of our initial business combination. Other than confirming that the rights delivered by a registered holder are valid, we will have no ability to avoid delivery of the shares underlying the rights. Nevertheless, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of an initial business combination. Additionally, in no event will we be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
Although a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands may issue fractional shares, it is not our intention to issue any fractional shares upon conversions of the rights. In the event that any holder would otherwise be entitled to any fractional share upon exchange of his, her or its rights, we will reserve the option, to the fullest extent permitted by the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and other applicable law, to deal with any such fractional entitlement at the relevant time as we see fit, which would include the rounding down of any entitlement to receive ordinary shares to the nearest whole share (and in effect extinguishing any fractional entitlement), or the holder being entitled to hold any remaining fractional entitlement (without any share being issued) and to aggregate the same with any future fractional entitlement to receive shares in the Company until the holder is entitled to receive a whole number. Any rounding down and extinguishment may be done with or without any in lieu cash payment or other compensation being made to the holder of the relevant rights, such that value received on exchange of the rights may be considered less than the value that the holder would otherwise expect to receive. All holders of rights shall be treated in the same manner with respect to the issuance of shares upon conversions of the rights.
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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 or splits in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering, in which case we will effect a share dividends or splits with respect to our ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private placement units). 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 Rights Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and the rights agent for our rights is VStock Transfer LLC. We have agreed to indemnify VStock Transfer LLC in its roles as transfer agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS COMPANY CONSIDERATIONS
Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the provisions of applicable British Virgin Islands law, including the Companies Act. The Companies Act differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of some significant 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. A brief discussion of certain other provisions of the Companies Act and British Virgin Islands law also follows.
We cannot predict whether British Virgin Islands Courts would reach the same conclusions based on a particular set of facts as the U.S. courts would be expected to reach. Thus, you may have more difficulty in protecting your interests in the face of actions by the management, directors or controlling shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a United States jurisdiction, which has developed a substantial body of case law. The following table provides a comparison between the statutory provisions of the Companies Act together with the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association) and the Delaware General Corporation Law relating to shareholders’ rights.
| British Virgin Islands | Delaware |
| Shareholder Meetings | ||
| Held at a time and place as determined by the directors | May be held at such time or place as designated in the charter or the by-laws, or if not so designated, as determined by the board of directors | |
| May be held within or outside the British Virgin Islands | May be held within or without Delaware | |
| Notice: | Notice: | |
| Under our memorandum and articles of association, a copy of the notice of any meeting shall be given not fewer than ten (10) days before the date of the proposed meeting to those persons whose names appear in the register of members on the date the notice is given and are entitled to vote at the meeting. | Whenever shareholders are required to take any action at a meeting, a written notice of the meeting shall be given which shall state the place, if any, date and hour of the meeting, and the means of remote communication, if any | |
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| British Virgin Islands | Delaware | |
| Shareholders’ Voting Rights | ||
| Any person authorized to vote may be represented at a meeting by a proxy who may speak and vote on behalf of the member. | Any person authorized to vote may authorize another person or persons to act for him by proxy | |
| Quorum is fixed by our memorandum and articles of association, to consist of the holder or holders present in person or by proxy entitled to exercise at least 50 percent of the voting rights of the shares of each class or series of shares entitled to vote as a class or series thereon. | For stock corporations, the charter or by-laws may specify the number to constitute a quorum but in no event shall a quorum consist of less than one-third of shares entitled to vote at a meeting. In the absence of such specifications, a majority of shares shall constitute a quorum | |
| Under our memorandum and articles of association, subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any shares, at any general meeting on a show of hands every shareholder who is present in person (or, in the case of a shareholder being a corporation, by its duly authorized representative) or by proxy shall have one vote and on a poll every shareholder present in person (or, in the case of a shareholder being a corporation, by its duly appointed representative) or by proxy shall have one vote for each share which such shareholder is the holder. Voting at any meeting of the shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by shareholders present in person or by proxy if the shareholder disputes the outcome of the vote on a proposed resolution and the chairman shall cause a poll to be taken. | For non-stock companies, the charter or by-laws may specify the number of shareholders to constitute a quorum. In the absence of this, one-third of the shareholders shall constitute a quorum | |
| Changes in the rights attaching to the ordinary shares require the approval by way of resolution of a majority of those outstanding ordinary shares attending at the meeting and voting in respect of such resolution. | Except as provided in the charter documents, changes in the rights of shareholders as set forth in the charter documents require approval of a majority of its shareholders | |
| The rights attaching to the preferred shares may be changed by way of a resolution of a majority of the votes attending and voting at the relevant meeting or class meeting. | ||
| However, in the case of both the ordinary shares and the preferred shares, the above is subject to any greater majority is required under our memorandum and articles of association or the Companies Act, provided that that for these purposes the creation, designation or issue of preferred shares with rights and privileges ranking in priority to an existing class of shares shall be deemed not to be a variation of the rights of such existing class. | ||
| The memorandum and articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors | The charter may provide for cumulative voting | |
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| British Virgin Islands | Delaware | |
| If we decide to seek shareholder approval in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, such approval may be by a majority vote of shareholders who being so entitled attend and vote at the general meeting | Approval of our initial business combination may be by a majority of outstanding shares if such transaction involves the merger of such entity | |
| All other matters to be decided upon by the shareholders require a majority vote of shareholders who being so entitled attend and vote at the general meeting, unless the Companies Act requires a higher majority. Our memorandum and articles of association also may be amended by resolution of directors, including to create the rights, preferences, designations and limitations attaching to any blank check preferred shares. | ||
| Directors | ||
| Board must consist of at least one director | Board must consist of at least one member | |
| Maximum and minimum number of directors can be changed by an amendment to the articles of association, with such amendment being passed by a resolution of shareholders or a resolution of directors | Number of board members shall be fixed by the by-laws, unless the charter fixes the number of directors, in which case a change in the number shall be made only by amendment of the charter | |
| Directors are appointed for two year staggered terms by the shareholders (as described under “Directors” below). However, the directors may by resolution appoint a replacement director to fill a casual vacancy arising on the resignation, disqualification or death of a director. The replacement director will then hold office until the next annual general meeting at which the director he replaces would have been subject to retirement by rotation. | ||
| Directors do not have to be independent | Directors do not have to be independent | |
| Under our memorandum and articles of association, a director may not be removed from office by a resolution of our shareholders prior to the consummation of our business combination. | ||
| Fiduciary Duties | ||
| Directors and officers owe fiduciary duties at both common law and under statute as follows: | Directors and officers must act in good faith, with the care of a prudent person, and in the best interest of the corporation. | |
| Duty to act honestly and in good faith in what the directors believe to be in the best interests of the company; | Directors and officers must refrain from self-dealing, usurping corporate opportunities and receiving improper personal benefits. | |
| Duty to exercise powers for a proper purpose and directors shall not act, or agree to act, in a matter that contravenes the Companies Act or the memorandum and articles of association; | Decisions made by directors and officers on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action was taken in the best interest of the corporation will be protected by the “business judgment rule.” | |
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| British Virgin Islands | Delaware | |
| Duty to exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonable director would exercise in the circumstances taking into account, without limitation: |
| (a) | the nature of the company; |
| (b) | the nature of the decision; and |
| (c) | the position of the director and the nature of the responsibilities undertaken by him. |
| The Companies Act provides that, a director of a company shall, immediately after becoming aware of the fact that he is interested in a transaction entered into, or to be entered into, by the company, disclose the interest to the board of the company. However, the failure of a director to disclose that interest does not affect the validity of a transaction entered into by the director or the company, so long as the transaction was not required to be disclosed because the transaction is between the company and the director himself and is in the ordinary course of business and on usual terms and conditions. Additionally, the failure of a director to disclose an interest does not affect the validity of the transaction entered into by the company if (a) the material facts of the interest of the director in the transaction are known by the shareholders and the transaction is approved or ratified by a resolution of shareholders entitled to vote at a meeting of shareholders or (b) the company received fair value for the transaction. | Directors may vote on a matter in which they have an interest so long as the director has disclosed any interests in the transaction. | |
| Pursuant to the Companies Act, the company’s memorandum and articles of association, so long as a director has disclosed any interests in a transaction entered into or to be entered into by the company to the board he/she may: | ||
| vote on a matter relating to the transaction; | ||
| attend a meeting of directors at which a matter relating to the transaction arises and be included among the directors present at the meeting for the purposes of a quorum; and sign a document on behalf of the company, or do any other thing in his capacity as a director, that relates to the transaction. |
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| British Virgin Islands | Delaware | |
| Shareholders’ Derivative Actions | ||
| Generally speaking, the company is the proper plaintiff in any action. A shareholder may, with the permission of the British Virgin Islands Court, bring an action or intervene in a matter in the name of the company, in certain circumstances. Such actions are known as derivative actions. The British Virgin Islands Court may only grant permission to bring a derivative action where the following circumstances apply: | In any derivative suit instituted by a shareholder of a corporation, it shall be averred in the complaint that the plaintiff was a shareholder of the corporation at the time of the transaction of which he complains or that such shareholder’s stock thereafter devolved upon such shareholder by operation of law. | |
| the company does not intend to bring, diligently continue or defend or discontinue the proceedings; and | Complaint shall set forth with particularity the efforts of the plaintiff to obtain the action by the board or the reasons for not making such effort. | |
| it is in the interests of the company that the conduct of the proceedings not be left to the directors or to the determination of the shareholders as a whole. | Such action shall not be dismissed or compromised without the approval of the Chancery Court. | |
| When considering whether to grant leave, the British Virgin Islands Court is also required to have regard to the following matters: | ||
whether the shareholder is acting in good faith;
whether a derivative action is in the interests of the company, taking into account the directors’ views on commercial matters;
whether the action is likely to succeed;
the costs of the proceedings in relation to the relief likely to be obtained; and
whether another alternative remedy to the derivative action is available. | If we were a Delaware corporation, a shareholder whose shares were cancelled in connection with our dissolution, would not be able to bring a derivative action against us after the ordinary shares have been cancelled. | |
As noted above, the Companies Act differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of some of the significant 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. The Companies Act provides for mergers as that expression is understood under United States corporate law. Under the Companies Act, two or more companies may either merge into one of such existing companies (the “surviving company”) or consolidate with both existing companies ceasing to exist and forming a new company (the “consolidated company”). The procedure for a merger or consolidation between the company and another company (which need not be a BVI company, and which may be the company’s parent or subsidiary, but need not be) is set out in the Companies Act. The directors of the BVI company or BVI companies which are to merge or consolidate must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation which, with the exception of a merger between a parent company and its subsidiary, must also be approved by a resolution of a majority of the shareholders who are entitled to vote and actually vote at a quorate meeting of shareholders or by written resolution of the shareholders of the BVI company or BVI companies which are to merge. A foreign company which is able under the laws of its foreign jurisdiction to participate in the merger or consolidation is required by the Companies Act to comply with the laws of that foreign jurisdiction in relation to the merger or consolidation. The company must then execute articles of merger or consolidation, containing certain prescribed details. The plan and articles of merger or consolidation are then filed with the Registrar of Corporate Affairs in the British Virgin Islands. The Registrar then registers the articles of merger or consolidation and any amendment to the memorandum and articles of the surviving company in a merger or the memorandum and articles of association of the new consolidated company in a consolidation and issue a certificate of merger or consolidation (which is conclusive evidence of compliance with all requirements of the Companies Act in respect of the merger or consolidation). The merger is effective on the date that the articles of merger are registered with the Registrar or on such subsequent date, not exceeding thirty days, as is stated in the articles of merger or consolidation.
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As soon as a merger becomes effective: (a) the surviving company or consolidated company (so far as is consistent with its memorandum and articles of association, as amended or established by the articles of merger or consolidation) has all rights, privileges, immunities, powers, objects and purposes of each of the constituent companies; (b) in the case of a merger, the memorandum and articles of association of any surviving company are automatically amended to the extent, if any, that changes to its amended memorandum and articles of association are contained in the articles of merger or, in the case of a consolidation, the memorandum and articles of association filed with the articles of consolidation are the memorandum and articles of the consolidated company; (c) assets of every description, including choses-in-action and the business of each of the constituent companies, immediately vest in the surviving company or consolidated company; (d) the surviving company or consolidated company is liable for all claims, debts, liabilities and obligations of each of the constituent companies; (e) no conviction, judgment, ruling, order, claim, debt, liability or obligation due or to become due, and no cause existing, against a constituent company or against any member, director, officer or agent thereof, is released or impaired by the merger or consolidation; and (f) no proceedings, whether civil or criminal, pending at the time of a merger by or against a constituent company, or against any member, director, officer or agent thereof, are abated or discontinued by the merger or consolidation; but: (i) the proceedings may be enforced, prosecuted, settled or compromised by or against the surviving company or consolidated company or against the member, director, officer or agent thereof; as the case may be; or (ii) the surviving company or consolidated company may be substituted in the proceedings for a constituent company. The Registrar shall strike off the register of companies each constituent company that is not the surviving company in the case of a merger and all constituent companies in the case of a consolidation.
If the directors determine it to be in the best interests of the company, it is also possible for a merger to be approved as a Court approved plan of arrangement or scheme of arrangement in accordance with the Companies Act. However, we do not anticipate the use of such statutory provisions because we expect the required terms of the initial business combination will be capable of being achieved through other means, such as a merger or consolidation (as described above), a share exchange, asset acquisition or control, through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
Poison Pill Defenses. Under the Companies Act there are no provisions, which specifically prevent the issuance of preferred shares or any such other ‘poison pill’ measures. The memorandum and articles of association of the company also do not contain any express prohibitions on the issuance of any preferred shares. Therefore, the directors without the approval of the holders of ordinary shares may issue preferred shares that have characteristics that may be deemed to be anti-takeover. Additionally, such a designation of shares may be used in connection with plans that are poison pill plans. However, as noted above under the Companies Act, a director in the exercise of his powers and performance of his duties is required to act honestly and in good faith in what the director believes to be the best interests of the company.
Directors: Our directors are appointed by our shareholders and are subject to rotational retirement every two years. The initial terms of office of the Class I and Class II directors have been staggered over a period of two years to ensure that all directors of the company do not face re-election in the same year. However, the directors may by resolution appoint a replacement director to fill a casual vacancy arising on the resignation, disqualification or death of a director. The replacement director will then hold office until the next annual general meeting at which the director he replaces would have been subject to retirement by rotation. Under our memorandum and articles of association, a director may not be removed from office by a resolution of our shareholders prior to the consummation of our business combination. There is nothing under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, which specifically prohibits or restricts the creation of cumulative voting rights for the election of our directors. Our memorandum and articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting for such elections.
There are no share ownership qualifications for directors.
Meetings of our board of directors may be convened at any time by any of our directors.
A meeting of our board of directors will be quorate if at least a majority of the directors are present or represented by an alternate director. At any meeting of our directors, each director, whether by his or her presence or by his or her alternate, is entitled to one vote. Questions arising at a meeting of our board of directors are required to be decided by simple majority votes of the directors present or represented at the meeting. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or deciding vote. Our board of directors also may pass resolutions without a meeting by unanimous written consent.
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Alternate Directors: Our memorandum and articles of association provide that, following the consummation of our initial business combination, each of our directors may appoint an alternate (who need not be another director of the company). The alternate of any director shall be entitled to attend board meetings in the absence of the director who appointed him or her and to vote or give written consent in place of that director until the alternate’s appointment lapses or is terminated (an alternate’s appointment, if he has not already done so, will automatically terminate on his appointor ceasing to be a director). However, a director may not appoint an alternate prior to our initial business combination.
Agents: Our board of directors has the power to appoint any person (whether or not a director or other officer of the company) to be an agent of the company. Our memorandum and articles of association provide that an agent of the company shall be able to exercise such powers and authorities of the directors (which may include the power to affix the company’s seal) as the directors may allow when appointing the agent, except that, as stated in our memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Act, no agent shall have be given any power or authority to amend the memorandum or the articles in place of the directors or members; to designate committees of directors; to delegate powers to a committee of directors; to appoint directors; to appoint an agent; to approve a plan of merger, consolidation or arrangement; or to make a declaration of solvency or to approve a liquidation plan. When appointing an agent of the company, our directors may authorize the agent to appoint one or more substitutes or delegates to exercise some or all of the powers conferred on the agent. Our directors may remove an agent and may revoke or vary a power conferred on him.
Indemnification of Directors: Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, subject to certain limitations, the company shall indemnify its directors and officers against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with legal, administrative or investigative proceedings. Such indemnity only applies if the person acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the company and, in the case of criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe that their conduct was unlawful. The decision of the directors as to whether the person acted honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the company and as to whether the person had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful is, in the absence of fraud, sufficient for the purposes of the memorandum and articles of association, unless a question of law is involved. The termination of any proceedings by any judgment, order, settlement, conviction or the entering of a nolle prosequi does not, by itself, create a presumption that the person did not act honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the company or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
Directors and Conflicts of Interest. As noted in the table above, pursuant to the Companies Act and the company’s memorandum and articles of association, a director of a company who has an interest in a transaction and who has declared such interest to the other directors, may:
| (a) | vote on a matter relating to the transaction; |
| (b) | attend a meeting of directors at which a matter relating to the transaction arises and be included among the directors present at the meeting for the purposes of a quorum; and |
| (c) | sign a document on behalf of the company, or do any other thing in his capacity as a director, that relates to the transaction. |
Shareholders’ Suits. Our British Virgin Islands counsel is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a British Virgin Islands court. The enforcement of the company’s rights will ordinarily be a matter for its directors.
In certain limited circumstances, a shareholder has the right to seek various remedies against the company in the event the directors are in breach of their duties under the Companies Act. Pursuant to Section 184B of the Companies Act, if a company or director of a company engages in, or proposes to engage in or has engaged in, conduct that contravenes the provisions of the Companies Act or the memorandum or articles of association of the company, the British Virgin Islands Court may, on application of a shareholder or director of the company, make an order directing the company or director to comply with, or restraining the company or director from engaging in conduct that contravenes the Companies Act or the memorandum or articles. Furthermore, pursuant to section 184I(1) of the Companies Act a shareholder of a company who considers that the affairs of the company have been, are being or likely to be, conducted in a manner that is, or any acts of the company have been, or are likely to be oppressive, unfairly discriminatory, or unfairly prejudicial to him in that capacity, may apply to the British Virgin Islands Court for an order which, inter alia, can require the company or any other person to pay compensation to the shareholders.
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The Companies Act provides for a series of remedies available to shareholders. Where a company incorporated under the Companies Act conducts some activity, which breaches the Act or the company’s memorandum and articles of association, the court can issue a restraining or compliance order. Under the Companies Act, a shareholder of a company may bring an action against the company for breach of a duty owed by the company to him as a member. A shareholder also may, with the permission of the British Virgin Islands Court, bring an action or intervene in a matter in the name of the company, in certain circumstances. Such actions are known as derivative actions. As noted above, the British Virgin Islands Court may only grant permission to bring a derivative action where the following circumstances apply:
| ● | the company does not intend to bring, diligently continue or defend or discontinue proceedings; and |
| ● | it is in the interests of the company that the conduct of the proceedings not be left to the directors or to the determination of the shareholders as a whole. |
| ● | when considering whether to grant leave, the British Virgin Islands Court is also required to have regard to the following matters: |
| ● | whether the shareholder is acting in good faith; |
| ● | whether a derivative action is in the company’s best interests, taking into account the directors’ views on commercial matters; |
| ● | whether the action is likely to proceed; |
| ● | the costs of the proceedings; and |
| ● | whether an alternative remedy is available. |
Any member of a company may apply to the British Virgin Islands Court under the Insolvency Act for the appointment of a liquidator to liquidate the company and the court may appoint a liquidator for the company if it is of the opinion that it is just and equitable to do so.
The Companies Act provides that any shareholder of a company is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares upon dissenting from any of the following: (a) a merger if the company is a constituent company, unless the company is the surviving company and the member continues to hold the same or similar shares; (b) a consolidation if the company is a constituent company; (c) any sale, transfer, lease, exchange or other disposition of more than 50 per cent in value of the assets or business of the company if not made in the usual or regular course of the business carried on by the company but not including: (i) a disposition pursuant to an order of the court having jurisdiction in the matter, (ii) a disposition for money on terms requiring all or substantially all net proceeds to be distributed to the members in accordance with their respective interest within one year after the date of disposition, or (iii) a transfer pursuant to the power of the directors to transfer assets for the protection thereof; (d) a compulsory redemption of 10 per cent, or fewer of the issued shares of the company required by the holders of 90 percent, or more of the shares of the company pursuant to the terms of the Act; and (e) a plan of arrangement, if permitted by the British Virgin Islands Court.
Generally any other claims against a company by its shareholders must be based on the general laws of contract or tort applicable in the British Virgin Islands or their individual rights as shareholders as established by the company’s memorandum and articles of association. There are common law rights for the protection of shareholders that may be invoked, largely derived from English common law. Under the general English company law known as the rule in Foss v. Harbottle, a court will generally refuse to interfere with the management of a company at the insistence of a minority of its shareholders who express dissatisfaction with the conduct of the company’s affairs by the majority or the board of directors. However, every shareholder is entitled to seek to have the affairs of the company conducted properly according to law and the constituent documents of the corporation. As such, if those who control the company have persistently disregarded the requirements of company law or the provisions of the company’s memorandum and articles of association, then the courts may grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts will intervene are the following:
| ● | a company is acting or proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
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| ● | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could only be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; |
| ● | the individual rights of the plaintiff shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed; or |
| ● | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
Under the law of Delaware, the rights of minority shareholders are similar to that which will be applicable to the shareholders of the company.
Compulsory Acquisition: Under the Companies Act, subject to any limitations in a company’s memorandum or articles, members holding 90% of the votes of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, and members holding 90% of the votes of the outstanding shares of each class of shares entitled to vote, may give a written instruction to the company directing the company to redeem the shares held by the remaining members. Upon receipt of such written instruction, the company shall redeem the shares specified in the written instruction, irrespective of whether or not the shares are by their terms redeemable. The company shall give written notice to each member whose shares are to be redeemed stating the redemption price and the manner in which the redemption is to be effected. A member whose shares are to be so redeemed is entitled to dissent from such redemption, and to be paid the fair value of his shares, as described under “Shareholders’ Suits” above.
Share Repurchases and Redemptions: As permitted by the Companies Act and our memorandum and articles of association, shares may be repurchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired by us. Depending on the circumstances of the redemption or repurchase, our directors may need to determine that immediately following the redemption or repurchase we will be able to satisfy our debts as they fall due and the value of our assets exceeds our liabilities. Our directors may only exercise this power on our behalf, subject to the Companies Act, our memorandum and articles of association and to any applicable requirements imposed from time to time by the SEC, Nasdaq or any other stock exchange on which our securities are listed.
Dividends: Subject to the Companies Act and our memorandum and articles of association, our directors may declare dividends at a time and amount they think fit if they are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that, immediately after distribution of the dividend, the value of our assets will exceed our liabilities and we will be able to pay our debts as they fall due. No dividend shall carry interest against us.
Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders and Disclosure of Substantial Shareholdings: There are no limitations imposed by our memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
Untraceable Shareholders: Under our memorandum and articles of association, we are entitled to sell any shares of a shareholder who is untraceable, as long as: (a) all checks, not being less than three in total number, for any sums payable in cash to the holder of such shares have remained uncashed for a period of 12 years; (b) we have not during that time or before the expiry of the three-month period referred to in (c) below received any indication of the existence of the shareholder or person entitled to such shares by death, bankruptcy or operation of law; and (c) upon expiration of the 12-year period, we have caused an advertisement to be published in newspapers, giving notice of our intention to sell these shares, and a period of three months or such shorter period has elapsed since the date of such advertisement. The net proceeds of any such sale shall belong to us, and when we receive these net proceeds we shall become indebted to the former shareholder for an amount equal to such net proceeds.
Transfer of Shares: Subject to any applicable restrictions set forth in our memorandum and articles of association, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form, in the case of listed shares, in any manner permitted by and in accordance with the rules of the relevant exchange, or in any other form which our directors may approve.
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Inspection of Books and Records: Under the Companies Act, members of the general public, on payment of a nominal fee, can obtain copies of the public records of a company available at the office of the Registrar which will include the company’s certificate of incorporation, its memorandum and articles of association (with any amendments) and records of license fees paid to date and will also disclose any articles of dissolution, articles of merger and a register of charges if the company has elected to file such a register.
A member of a company is entitled, on giving written notice to the company, to inspect:
| (a) | the memorandum and articles; |
| (b) | the register of members; |
| (c) | the register of directors; and |
| (d) | the minutes of meetings and resolutions of members and of those classes of members of which he is a member; |
and to make copies of or take extracts from the documents and records referred to in (a) to (d) above.
Subject to the memorandum and articles of association, the directors may, if they are satisfied that it would be contrary to the company’s interests to allow a member to inspect any document, or part of a document, specified in (b), (c) or (d) above, refuse to permit the member to inspect the document or limit the inspection of the document, including limiting the making of copies or the taking of extracts from the records.
Where a company fails or refuses to permit a member to inspect a document or permits a member to inspect a document subject to limitations, that member may apply to the British Virgin Islands Court for an order that he should be permitted to inspect the document or to inspect the document without limitation.
Dissolution; Winding Up: As permitted by the Companies Act and our memorandum and articles of association, we may be voluntarily liquidated under Part XII of the Companies Act by resolution of directors and resolution of shareholders if we have no liabilities or we are able to pay our debts as they fall due.
We also may be wound up in circumstances where we are insolvent in accordance with the terms of the Insolvency Act.
Anti-Money Laundering Laws
In order to comply with legislation or regulations aimed at the prevention of money laundering we are required to adopt and maintain anti-money laundering procedures, and may require subscribers to provide evidence to verify their identity. Where permitted, and subject to certain conditions, we also may delegate the maintenance of our anti-money laundering procedures (including the acquisition of due diligence information) to a suitable person.
We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to verify the identity of a subscriber. In the event of delay or failure on the part of the subscriber in producing any information required for verification purposes, we may refuse to accept the application, in which case any funds received will be returned without interest to the account from which they were originally debited.
If any person resident in the British Virgin Islands knows or suspects that another person is engaged in money laundering or terrorist financing and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of their business the person will be required to report his belief or suspicion to the Financial Investigation Agency of the British Virgin Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Criminal Conduct Act 1997 (as amended). Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
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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 cannot be amended without the consent of the shareholders.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will also contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections to our ordinary shareholders prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares attending and voting on such amendment.
Our sponsor, who will beneficially own 22.28% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering, and taking into account ownership of the private placement units), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner it chooses. 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ 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 our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve; |
| ● | 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; |
| ● | 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 or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or 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; |
| ● | so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the NASDAQ, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
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| ● | if our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would (i) 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 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs) from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months or 24 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) or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares; and |
| ● | we will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination, unless we are exempt from the provisions of Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules).
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of the holders of at least a majority 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 British Virgin Islands business 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 Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares and preference 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 preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering we will have 7,720,000 (or 8,863,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the 6,000,000 ordinary shares (or 6,900,000 shares 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 1,500,000 (or 1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) founder shares and all 220,000 (or 238,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement units are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares and rights 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.
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Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares and rights 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 issued and outstanding, which will equal 77,200 shares immediately after this offering (or 88,630 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), on an as converted basis; or |
| ● | the average weekly reported trading volume of the ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| ● | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| ● | 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 sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares and private placement units 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 units and units that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans (and any securities underlying he private placement units and the working capital loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We have applied to list our units, ordinary shares, and rights on the NASDAQ under the symbols “ESPAU” “ESPA,” and “ESPAR” on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date that the ordinary shares and rights are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the ordinary shares and rights will be listed separately and as a unit on the NASDAQ. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NASDAQ.
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The following summary of certain British Virgin Islands and U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to an investment in our units, ordinary shares and rights 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 ordinary shares and rights, 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.
British Virgin Islands Taxation
The following is a discussion on certain British Virgin Islands income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under British Virgin Islands law.
Under Existing British Virgin Islands Laws
The Government of the British Virgin Islands does not, under existing legislation, impose any income, corporate or capital gains tax, estate duty, inheritance tax, gift tax or withholding tax upon the company or its securityholders who are not tax resident in the British Virgin Islands.
The company and all distributions, interest and other amounts paid by the company to persons who are not tax resident in the British Virgin Islands will not be subject to any income, withholding or capital gains taxes in the British Virgin Islands, with respect to the shares in the company owned by them and dividends received on such shares, nor will they be subject to any estate or inheritance taxes in the British Virgin Islands.
No estate, inheritance, succession or gift tax, rate, duty, levy or other charge is payable by persons who are not tax resident in the British Virgin Islands with respect to any shares, debt obligations or other securities of the company.
Except to the extent that we have any interest in real property in the British Virgin Islands, all instruments relating to transactions in respect of the shares, debt obligations or other securities of the company and all instruments relating to other transactions relating to the business of the company are exempt from the payment of stamp duty in the British Virgin Islands.
There are currently no withholding taxes or exchange control regulations in the British Virgin Islands applicable to the company or its securityholders.
United States Federal Income Taxation
General
The following discussion summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one ordinary share and one right) that are purchased in this offering by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). 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 ordinary share and right components of the unit. As a result, the discussion below of the U.S. federal income tax consequences with respect to actual holders of ordinary shares should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying ordinary shares that comprise the units).
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This discussion is limited to certain U.S. federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). This discussion assumes that the ordinary shares and rights will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars. This discussion is a summary only and does not consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances. In addition, this discussion does not address the U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders that are subject to special rules, including:
| ● | financial institutions or financial services entities; |
| ● | broker-dealers; |
| ● | taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market accounting rules; |
| ● | tax-exempt entities; |
| ● | governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
| ● | insurance companies; |
| ● | regulated investment companies; |
| ● | real estate investment trusts; |
| ● | expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States; |
| ● | persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares; |
| ● | persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation; |
| ● | persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedging, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction; or |
| ● | U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. |
The discussion below is based upon the provisions of the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof, and such provisions may be repealed, revoked, modified or subject to differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address the potential application of the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare contribution tax, any aspect of U.S. federal non-income tax laws, such as gift or estate tax laws, state, local or non-U.S. tax laws or, except as discussed herein, any tax reporting obligations of a holder of our securities.
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.
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As used herein, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of units, ordinary shares, or rights who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) an individual citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source or (iv) a trust if (A) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) it has in effect a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person.
If a beneficial owner of our securities is not described as a U.S. Holder and is not an entity treated as a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such owner will be considered a “Non-U.S. Holder.” The U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable specifically to Non-U.S. Holders are described below under the heading “Non-U.S. Holders.”
This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of partnerships or other pass-through entities or persons who hold our securities through such entities. If a partnership (or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding our securities and partners in such partnerships are urged to consult their own tax advisors.
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. TAX LAWS, AS WELL AS U.S. FEDERAL TAX LAWS AND ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATIES.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
There is no statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addressing the treatment, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, of securities with terms substantially the same as the units, and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one ordinary share and one right. Each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit among the ordinary share and the right that comprise the unit based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of issuance. A holder’s initial tax basis in the ordinary share and right included in each unit should equal the portion of the purchase price of the unit allocated thereto. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the ordinary share and right comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated among the ordinary share and the right based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition. The separation of the ordinary share and right comprising a unit should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of our ordinary shares and rights 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 holder is advised to consult its own tax advisor regarding the risks associated with an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit) and regarding an allocation of the purchase price among the ordinary share and right that comprise a unit. The balance of this discussion generally assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
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U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions Paid on Ordinary Shares
Subject to the passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will be required to include in gross income as dividends the amount of any cash distribution paid on our ordinary shares. A cash distribution on such shares generally will be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Such dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations.
Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such ordinary shares.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, dividends will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “— Taxation on the Disposition of Ordinary Shares and Rights” below) only if our ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States and certain other requirements are met. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our ordinary shares.
Taxation on the Disposition of Ordinary Shares and Rights
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our ordinary shares and rights which, in general, would include a redemption of ordinary shares as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an in initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss. The amount of gain or loss recognized generally will be equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the ordinary shares and rights are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the ordinary shares and rights based upon the then fair market values of the ordinary shares and rights included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its ordinary shares and rights (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to an ordinary share or right, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) reduced by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. See “— Acquisition of Ordinary Shares Pursuant to a Right” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. Holder’s basis in an ordinary share acquired pursuant to a right.
Under tax law currently in effect long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders are generally subject to U.S. federal income tax at a reduced rate of tax. Capital gain or loss will constitute long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares and rights exceeds one year. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the ordinary shares described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements for this purpose. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to various limitations that are not described herein because a discussion of such limitations depends on each U.S. Holder’s particular facts and circumstances.
Redemption of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, if a U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the exercise of a shareholder redemption right or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares in an open market transaction (each of which we refer to as a “redemption”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such redemption will be subject to the following rules. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of the ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code, the tax treatment of such redemption will be as described under “— Taxation on the Disposition of Ordinary Shares and Rights” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code, a U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a distribution with the tax consequences described below. Whether a redemption of our shares qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our ordinary shares treated as held by such U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned as a result of, among other things, and, possibly, rights). The redemption of ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale or exchange of the ordinary shares (rather than as a distribution) if the receipt of cash upon the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to a U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of such holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to such holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
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In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder must take into account not only our ordinary shares actually owned by such holder, but also our ordinary shares that are constructively owned by such holder. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to our ordinary shares owned directly, ordinary shares owned by related individuals and entities in which such holder has an interest or that have an interest in such holder, as well as any ordinary shares such holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option (and possible ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the rights). In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by a U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of our ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting and ordinary shares actually and constructively owned by such holder immediately before the redemption. 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 such U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our ordinary shares actually owned by such U.S. Holder are redeemed and such holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives, in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by family members and such holder does not constructively own any other shares. The redemption of the ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if such redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” U.S. Holders should consult with their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of an exercise of the redemption right.
If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption may be treated as a distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— Taxation of Distributions Paid on Ordinary Shares,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis a U.S. Holder has in the redeemed ordinary shares will be added to the adjusted tax basis in such holder’s remaining ordinary shares. If there are no remaining ordinary shares, a U.S. Holder should consult its own tax advisors as to the allocation of any remaining basis.
Certain U.S. Holders may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of ordinary shares, and such holders should consult with their own tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.
Acquisition of Ordinary Shares Pursuant to Rights
The treatment of the rights to acquire ordinary shares is uncertain. The right may be viewed as a forward contract, derivative security or similar interest in our company (analogous to a warrant or option with no exercise price), and thus the holder of the right would not be viewed as owning the ordinary shares issuable pursuant to the rights until such ordinary shares are actually issued. There may be other alternative characterizations of the rights that the IRS may successfully assert, including that the rights are treated as equity in our company at the time the rights are issued.
The tax consequences of an acquisition of our ordinary shares pursuant to rights are unclear and will depend on the treatment of any initial business combination. Accordingly, U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an acquisition of ordinary shares pursuant to rights and the consequences of any initial business combination.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be a PFIC for U.S. tax purposes if at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income. Alternatively, a foreign corporation will be a PFIC if at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year of the foreign corporation, ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year, including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.
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Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year ending May 31, 2024. However, pursuant to a start-up exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year ending May 31, 2024. 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 ending May 31, 2024. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any future taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending May 31, 2024 or any future taxable year.
If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our ordinary shares or rights and, in the case of our ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a timely qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) ordinary shares, a QEF election along with a deemed sale (or purging) election, or a “mark-to-market” election, each as described below, such holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to:
| ● | any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on the sale or other disposition of its ordinary shares or rights; and |
| ● | any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. Holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. Holder during a taxable year of the U.S. Holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder in respect of the ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. Holder or, if shorter, such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares). |
Under these rules,
| ● | the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares and rights; |
| ● | 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; and |
| ● | the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed in respect of the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. Holder. |
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our ordinary shares (but not our rights) by making a timely QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
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The treatment of the rights to acquire our ordinary shares is unclear. For example, the rights may be viewed as a forward contract, derivative security or similar interest in our company (analogous to a warrant or option with no exercise price), and thus the holder of the right would not be viewed as owning the ordinary shares issuable pursuant to the rights until such ordinary shares are actually issued. There may be other alternative characterizations of the rights that the IRS may successfully assert, including that the rights are treated as equity in our company at the time the rights are issued, that would reach different conclusions regarding the tax treatment of the rights under the PFIC rules. In any case, depending on which characterization is successfully applied to the rights, different PFIC consequences may result for U.S. Holders of the rights. It is also likely that a U.S. Holder of rights would not be able to make a QEF or mark-to-market election (discussed below) with respect to such U.S. Holder’s rights. Due to the uncertainty of the application of the PFIC rules to the rights, all potential investors are strongly urged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding an investment in the rights offered hereunder as part of the units offering and the subsequent consequences to holders of such rights in any initial business combination.
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. Holder must receive a PFIC annual information statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, 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. 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 ordinary shares, and the special tax and interest charge rules do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, U.S. Holders of a QEF are currently taxed on their pro rata shares of its earnings and profits, whether or not distributed. In such case, a subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable as a dividend to such U.S. Holders. The tax basis of a U.S. Holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules.
Although a determination as to our PFIC status will be made annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held ordinary shares or rights while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. A U.S. Holder who makes the QEF election discussed above for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our ordinary shares, however, will not be subject to the PFIC tax and interest charge rules discussed above in respect to such shares. In addition, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to such shares for any taxable year of us that ends within or with a taxable year of the U.S. Holder and in which we are not a PFIC. On the other hand, if the QEF election is not effective for each of our taxable years in which we are a PFIC and the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our ordinary shares, the PFIC rules discussed above will continue to apply to such shares unless the holder makes a purging election, as described above, and pays the tax and interest charge with respect to the gain inherent in such shares attributable to the pre-QEF election period.
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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) ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect to its ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. Holder will include as ordinary income each year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over the adjusted basis in its ordinary shares. 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 ordinary shares over the fair market value of its ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. Holder’s basis in its ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of the ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Special tax rules may also apply if a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election for a taxable year after the first taxable year in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) its ordinary shares and for which we are treated as a PFIC. Currently, a mark-to-market election likely may not be made with respect to our rights.
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 the Nasdaq Capital Market, or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. Holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. Holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. We will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. Holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide the required information. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621(whether or not a QEF or market-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our ordinary shares or rights should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our ordinary shares or rights under their particular circumstances.
Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement.
Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our securities.
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Non-U.S. Holders
Dividends (including constructive distributions) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect to its ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares and rights 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) or the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met (in which case, such gain from United States sources generally is subject to tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate).
Dividends (including constructive distributions) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) 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.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
Dividend payments with respect to our ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A Non-U.S. Holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the amount of any backup withholding will be allowed as a credit against a U.S. Holder’s or a Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the requisite information is timely furnished to the IRS. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding and the availability of and procedure for obtaining an exemption from backup withholding in their particular circumstances.
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Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement dated _____, 2024 we have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below, for whom Lucid Capital Markets is acting as representative, the following respective numbers of units:
| Underwriter | Number of Units | |||
| Lucid Capital Markets | 6,000,000 | |||
| Total | 6,000,000 | |||
The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all the units in the offering if any are purchased, other than those units covered by the over-allotment option described below.
We have granted to the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase on a pro rata basis up to 900,000 additional units at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The option may be exercised only to cover any over-allotments of units.
The underwriters propose to offer the units initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus and to selling group members at that price less a selling concession of $_______ per unit. The underwriters and the selling group members may allow a discount of $________ per unit on sales to other broker/dealers. After the initial public offering the underwriters may change the public offering price and concession and discount to broker/dealers.
The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount to be paid by us to the underwriters and the proceeds, before expenses, to us. This information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.
| Per Unit | Without Over-allotment | With Over-allotment | ||||||||||
| Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 60,000,000 | $ | 69,000,000 | ||||||
| Discount(1) | $ | 0.45 | $ | 2,250,000 | $ | 2,587,500 | ||||||
| Proceeds before expenses(2) | $ | 9.55 | $ | 47,750,000 | $ | 54,912,500 | ||||||
| (1) | Such amount includes up to $1,500,000, or $0.25 per unit, (or $1,725,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting discounts and commissions upon completion of a business combination. |
| (2) | The offering expenses are estimated at approximately $500,000. |
In addition to the underwriting discount, we paid Lucid Capital Markets the sum of $25,000, upon the execution of the engagement letter, as an advance against out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually anticipated to be incurred by the underwriter, which is reimbursable to the extent not actually incurred, and we have agreed to pay to the underwriter for travel, lodging and other “road show” expenses, expenses of the underwriter’s legal counsel and certain diligence and other fees up to $75,000 (inclusive of the advance of $25,000).
No discounts or commissions will be paid on the sale of the private units.
The representative has informed us that the underwriters do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
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We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of Lucid Capital Markets for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement units, (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters’ over-allotment option (if any), (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, the resale of the private placement units and the underlying securities and the founder shares, and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. Ladenburg Thalmann & Co., Inc., the representative of our underwriters, in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of its founder shares until the earlier of (i) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, 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 (except as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in that respect.
We expect our units to be listed on the NASDAQ, under the symbol “ESPAU” and, once the ordinary shares and rights begin separate trading, to have our ordinary shares and rights listed on the NASDAQ under the symbols “ESPA,” and “ESPAR”, respectively.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the representative.
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 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, ordinary shares or rights 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, ordinary shares or rights will develop and continue after this offering.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 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), the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that: (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account; and (ii) that the deferred underwriters’ discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) to the public shareholders.
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In connection with the offering the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
| ● | Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
| ● | Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriters of units in excess of the number of units the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of units over-allotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of units that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of units involved is greater than the number of units in the over-allotment option. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option and/or purchasing units in the open market. |
| ● | Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the units in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of units to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option. If the underwriters sell more units than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
| ● | Penalty bids permit the representative to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the units originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. |
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the NASDAQ or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, 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, including in connection with acting in an advisory capacity or as a potential financing source in conjunction with our potential acquisition of a company. 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.
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A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the web sites maintained by one or more of the underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representative may agree to allocate a number of units to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The units are offered for sale in those jurisdictions in the United States, Europe, Asia and elsewhere where it is lawful to make such offers.
Each of the underwriters has represented and agreed that it has not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver any of the units directly or indirectly, or distribute this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, in or from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof and that will not impose any obligations on us except as set forth in the underwriting agreement.
We do not currently intend to register as a broker/dealer, merge with or acquire a registered broker/ dealer, or otherwise become a member of FINRA. However, in the event that we acquire a FINRA member or an entity affiliated with a FINRA member in the future, we have confirmed for the underwriters that FINRA Rule 5121 would apply.
European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), each Underwriter represents and agrees that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the “Relevant Implementation Date”) it has not made and will not make an offer of units to the public in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of units to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time,
| (a) | to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities; |
| (b) | to any legal entity which has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts; |
| (c) | to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the manager for any such offer; or |
| (d) | in any other circumstances which do not require the publication by the Issuer of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of units to the public” in relation to any units in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the units, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State and the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State;
Notice to Investors in the United Kingdom
Each of the underwriters severally represents, warrants and agrees as follows:
| (a) | 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 FSMA) to persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling with Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in which section 21 of FSMA does not apply to the company; and |
| (b) | it has complied with, and will comply with all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the units in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom; |
184
Notice to Residents of Japan
The underwriters will not offer or sell any of our units directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any Japanese person, except in each case pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese person” means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan;
Notice to Residents of Hong Kong
The underwriters and each of their affiliates have not (i) 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 (ii) issued or had in its possession for the purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere any advertisement, invitation or document relating to our units which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance. The contents of this document have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this document, you should obtain independent professional advice.
Notice to Residents of Singapore
This prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units has not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the units will be offered in Singapore pursuant to exemptions under Section 274 and Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “Securities and Futures Act”). Accordingly our units may not be offered or sold, or be the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to the public or any member of the public in Singapore other than (a) to an institutional investor or other person specified in Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, (b) to a sophisticated investor, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act or (c) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the Securities and Futures Act;
Notice to Residents of Germany
Each person who is in possession of this prospectus is aware of the fact that no German sales prospectus (Verkaufsprospekt) within the meaning of the Securities Sales Prospectus Act (Wertpapier-Verkaufsprospektgesetz, the “Act”) of the Federal Republic of Germany has been or will be published with respect to our units. In particular, each underwriter has represented that it has not engaged and has agreed that it will not engage in a public offering in (offentliches Angebot) within the meaning of the Act with respect to any of our units otherwise than in accordance with the Act and all other applicable legal and regulatory requirements;
Notice to Residents of France
The units are being issued and sold outside the Republic of France and that, in connection with their initial distribution, it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any units to the public in the Republic of France, and that it has not distributed and will not distribute or cause to be distributed to the public in the Republic of France this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, and that such offers, sales and distributions have been and will be made in the Republic of France only to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) in accordance with Article L.411-2 of the Monetary and Financial Code and decrét no. 98-880 dated 1st October, 1998; and
185
Notice to Residents of the Netherlands
Our units may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered in or from the Netherlands as part of their initial distribution or at any time thereafter, directly or indirectly, other than to, individuals or legal entities situated in The Netherlands who or which trade or invest in securities in the conduct of a business or profession (which includes banks, securities intermediaries (including dealers and brokers), insurance companies, pension funds, collective investment institution, central governments, large international and supranational organizations, other institutional investors and other parties, including treasury departments of commercial enterprises, which as an ancillary activity regularly invest in securities; hereinafter, “Professional Investors”), provided that in the offer, prospectus and in any other documents or advertisements in which a forthcoming offering of our units is publicly announced (whether electronically or otherwise) in The Netherlands it is stated that such offer is and will be exclusively made to such Professional Investors. Individual or legal entities who are not Professional Investors may not participate in the offering of our units, and this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units may not be considered an offer or the prospect of an offer to sell or exchange our units.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the British Virgin Islands
No invitation, whether directly or indirectly may be made to the public in the British Virgin Islands to subscribe for our shares.
Notice to Canadian Residents
Resale Restrictions
The distribution of units in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia 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, |
| ● | 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 Ladenburg is 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.
186
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.
Becker & Poliakoff P.A., New York, 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. Ogier, British Virgin Islands, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of British Virgin Islands law. Certain legal matters will be passed upon on behalf of the underwriters by Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.
The financial statements of Expectation Acquisition Corporation as of May 31, 2024 and 2023 and for the years ended May 31, 2024 and 2023 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by MaloneBailey, LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Expectation Acquisition Corporation to continue as a going concern, as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.
You may also obtain copies of the documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.
187
$60,000,000
6,000,000 Units
Expectation Acquisition Corporation
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2024
Until , 2024 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our 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.
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
Financial Statements For The Years ended May 31, 2024 and 2023
|
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Expectation Acquisition Corporation
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Expectation Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) as of May 31, 2024 and 2023, and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the years then ended, 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 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Matter
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has a net capital deficiency and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans that raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. 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 audits. 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 audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ MaloneBailey, LLP
www.malonebailey.com
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2024
Houston, Texas
July 16, 2024
F-2
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
BALANCE SHEETS
| May 31, 2024 | May 31, 2023 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | 400 | $ | 200 | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | 2,983 | 787 | ||||||
| Total current assets | 3,383 | 987 | ||||||
| Deferred offering costs | 90,828 | 90,828 | ||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 94,211 | $ | 91,815 | ||||
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICIT | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accrued expenses | $ | 23,029 | $ | 10,000 | ||||
| Promissory note – related party | 213,262 | 161,351 | ||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | 236,291 | 171,351 | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | 236,291 | 171,351 | ||||||
| Commitments and contingencies | - | - | ||||||
| Shareholder’s Deficit: | ||||||||
| Preferred shares, no par value, unlimited shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | - | - | ||||||
| Ordinary shares, no par value; unlimited shares authorized; 1,725,000 shares issued and outstanding(1) | 25,000 | 25,000 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (167,080 | ) | (104,536 | ) | ||||
| Total Shareholder’s Deficit | (142,080 | ) | (79,536 | ) | ||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICIT | $ | 94,211 | $ | 91,815 | ||||
| (1) | Includes up to an aggregate of 225,000 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. Shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the recapitalization on May 24, 2024. |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-3
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For the Years Ended May 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Formation and operating costs | $ | 62,544 | $ | 10,904 | ||||
| NET LOSS | $ | (62,544 | ) | $ | (10,904 | ) | ||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding(1) | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.04 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) | ||
| (1) | Excludes up to an aggregate of 225,000 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. Shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the recapitalization on May 24, 2024. |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-4
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICIT
FOR THE YEARS ENDED MAY 31, 2024 AND 2023
| Ordinary shares | Total | |||||||||||||||
| No. of shares | Amount | Accumulated deficit | shareholder’s deficit | |||||||||||||
| Balance as of May 31, 2022(1) | 1,725,000 | $ | 25,000 | $ | (93,632 | ) | $ | (68,632 | ) | |||||||
| Net loss | - | - | (10,904 | ) | (10,904 | ) | ||||||||||
| Balance as of May 31, 2023(1) | 1,725,000 | 25,000 | (104,536 | ) | (79,536 | ) | ||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | (62,544 | ) | (62,544 | ) | ||||||||||
| Balance as of May 31, 2024(1) | 1,725,000 | $ | 25,000 | $ | (167,080 | ) | $ | (142,080 | ) | |||||||
| (1) | Includes up to an aggregate of 225,000 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. Shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the recapitalization on May 24, 2024. |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-5
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
| For the Years ended May 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (62,544 | ) | $ | (10,904 | ) | ||
| Change in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | (2,196 | ) | 1,399 | |||||
| Accrued expenses | 13,029 | 5,000 | ||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (51,711 | ) | (4,505 | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from promissory note – related party | 51,911 | 4,705 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 51,911 | 4,705 | ||||||
| NET CHANGE IN CASH | 200 | 200 | ||||||
| CASH, BEGINNING OF YEAR | 200 | - | ||||||
| CASH, END OF YEAR | $ | 400 | $ | 200 | ||||
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-6
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS BACKGROUND
Expectation Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) is a newly organized blank check company incorporated on May 11, 2018, under the laws of the British Virgin Islands for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (“Business Combination”).
Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, the Company intends to focus on businesses that have a connection to the Asian market. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of May 31, 2024, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity through May 31, 2024 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering”) as described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected May 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering of 6,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) (or 6,900,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per Unit, which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Proposed Public Offering”), and the sale of 220,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit in a private placement to Trending Management Corporation (the “Sponsor”) (or 238,000 Units if the overallotment is exercised in full) to the Sponsor (the “Private Units”), and the underwriters that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.
The Company intends to list the Units on the Nasdaq Global Market (“NASDAQ”). The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the Private Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a Business Combination. NASDAQ rules provide that the 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 (as defined below) (less any deferred underwriting commissions and interest released to pay taxes payable) at the time of the signing a definitive agreement in connection with a Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that at least $10.00 per Unit, including the proceeds of the sale of the Private Units will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 180 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s shareholder, as described below.
The Company will provide its shareholders 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 shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. In connection with a proposed Business Combination, the Company may seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against a Business Combination. The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.
F-7
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
If the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides 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 seeking redemption rights with respect to 15% or more of the Public Shares without the Company’s prior written consent.
If a shareholder vote is not required 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 Memorandum and Articles of Association, offer such redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination.
The shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.00 per Public Share, subject to increase of up to an additional $0.033 per Public Share in the event that the Sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination (see below), plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). The per-share amount to be distributed to shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriter (as discussed in Note 7). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s rights. The ordinary shares will be recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
The Sponsor and any of the Company’s officers or directors that may hold Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) (the “initial shareholders”) and the underwriters will agree (a) to vote their Founder Shares, the ordinary shares included in the Private Placement Units (the “Private Shares”) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Offering in favor of a Business Combination, (b) not to propose an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association with respect to the Company’s pre-Business Combination activities prior to the consummation of a Business Combination unless the Company provides dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment; (c) not to redeem any shares (including the Founder Shares) and Private Shares into the right to receive cash from the Trust Account in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a Business Combination (or to sell any shares in a tender offer in connection with a Business Combination if the Company does not seek shareholder approval in connection therewith) or a vote to amend the provisions of the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association relating to shareholders’ rights of pre-Business Combination activity and (d) that the Founder Shares and Private Shares shall not participate in any liquidating distributions upon winding up if a Business Combination is not consummated. However, the initial shareholders will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Offering if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination.
The Company will have until 12 months (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, which may be accomplished only if the Sponsor deposits additional funds into the trust account as described below). If the Company enter into a business combination agreement within 12 months from the closing of this offering (the “Event”), the Company will be entitled to an automatic 3-month extension, without payment of any extension fee. However, if the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 12 months (or 15 months if the Event occurs), the Company may, but is not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by an additional month up to 9 times (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a Business Combination depending on occurrence of the Event) (the “Combination Period”). In order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate a Business Combination, the initial shareholders or their affiliates or designees must deposit into the Trust Account $200,000, or $238,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each one month extension. Any funds which may be provided to extend the time frame will be in the form of a loan to the Company from the Sponsor. The terms of any such loan have not been definitely negotiated, provided, however, any loan will be interest free and will be repayable only if the Company completes a Business Combination.
F-8
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the 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, redeem 100% of the outstanding 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 (net of taxes payable and less interest to pay dissolution expenses up to $50,000), which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ 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 Company’s board of directors, proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of the Company, subject in each case to its obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law. The underwriters have agreed to waive its rights to the deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period 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 the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than $10.00 per Unit.
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company, if and to the extent any claims by a vendor 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, reduce the amounts in the Trust Account to below $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under 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, the 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, 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 May 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had cash of $400 and $200 and a working capital deficit of $232,908 and $170,364, respectively. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The management’s plan in addressing this uncertainty is through the Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a business combination will be successful within the Combination Period. The Sponsor has agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount of $500,000 to be used, in part, for transaction costs incurred in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. The audited financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
F-9
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
| ● | Basis of presentation |
These accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
| ● | 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, 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 a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. 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 which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
| ● | Use of estimates |
In preparing these financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, Actual results may differ from these estimates.
| ● | Cash and Cash Equivalents |
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The company had $400 and $200 in cash as of May 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company has no cash equivalents as of May 31, 2024 and 2023.
F-10
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| ● | Deferred offering costs |
Deferred offering costs consist of underwriting, legal and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Offering and that will be charged to shareholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering. Should the Proposed Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses incurred, will be charged to operations. As of May 31, 2024 and 2023, the company had deferred offering costs of $90,828.
| ● | Rights accounting |
Rights — Except in cases where the Company is not the surviving company in a Business Combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one ordinary share upon consummation of a Business Combination, even if the holder of a right redeemed all shares held by him, her or it in connection with a Business Combination or an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association with respect to its pre-business combination activities. In the event that the Company will not be the surviving company upon completion of a Business Combination, each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively redeem his, her or its rights in order to receive the one-tenth (1/10) of a share underlying each right upon consummation of the Business Combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of Public Rights in order to receive his, her or its additional ordinary shares upon consummation of a Business Combination. The shares issuable upon exchange of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of the Company). If the Company enters into a definitive agreement for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary share basis.
The Company will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the British Virgin Islands law. As a result, the holders of the rights must hold rights in multiples of ten in order to receive shares for all of the holders’ rights upon closing of a Business Combination. 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 rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of a Business Combination. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
The Company accounts for rights as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the right’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815. The assessment considers whether the rights are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the rights meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the rights are indexed to the Company’s own ordinary shares and whether the right holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of right issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the rights are outstanding.
For issued or modified rights that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the rights are required to be recorded as a component of equity at the time of issuance. For issued or modified rights that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the rights are required to be recorded as liabilities at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the rights are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations.
As the rights issued upon the IPO and private placements meet the criteria for equity classification under ASC 480, therefore, the rights are classified as equity.
F-11
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| ● | Income taxes |
Income taxes are determined in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted income tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Any effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
ASC 740 prescribes a comprehensive model for how companies should recognize, measure, present, and disclose in their financial statements uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. Under ASC 740, tax positions must initially be recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not the position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities. The Company’s management determined that the British Virgin Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of May 31, 2024 and 2023. 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 may be subject to potential examination by foreign taxing authorities in the area of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with foreign tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months. The Company is considered to be an exempted British Virgin Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the British Virgin Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the periods presented.
| ● | Net loss per share |
Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 225,000 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 7). As of May 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the years presented.
| ● | Related parties |
The Company follows the ASC Topic 850-10, “Related Party” for the identification of related parties and disclosure of related party transactions.
Pursuant to section 850-10-20 the related parties include: a) affiliates of the Company; b) entities for which investments in their equity securities would be required, absent the election of the fair value option under the Fair Value Option Subsection of section 825–10–15, to be accounted for by the equity method by the investing entity; c) trusts for the benefit of employees, such as pension and Income-sharing trusts that are managed by or under the trusteeship of management; d) principal owners of the Company; e) management of the Company; f) other parties with which the Company may deal if one party controls or can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the other to an extent that one of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests; and g) other parties that can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the transacting parties or that have an ownership interest in one of the transacting parties and can significantly influence the other to an extent that one or more of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests.
F-12
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| ● | Concentration of credit risk |
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
| ● | Fair value of financial instrument |
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.
| ● | Recent accounting pronouncements |
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3 — PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING
The Proposed Public Offering calls for the Company to offer for sale up to 6,000,000 ordinary Units at a proposed offering price of $10.00 per Unit (plus up to an additional 900,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any). Each Unit will consist of one ordinary share and one right (“Public Right”). Each Public Right will convert into one-tenth (1/10) of one ordinary share.
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
The Sponsors have committed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 private units (or 238,000 Private Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) at $10.00 per Private Unit (for a total purchase price of $2,200,000 or $2,380,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full), in each case, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering). Each Private Unit consists of one Private Share and one right (each, a “Private Right”). Each Private Right entitles the holder to receive one-tenth of one ordinary share at the closing of a Business Combination. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Units will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and Private Rights will expire worthless.
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
In May 2018, the Company issued one ordinary share to the initial shareholder for no consideration. During March 2021, the Company cancelled the one share for no consideration and the Sponsor purchased 1,437,500 founder shares for an aggregate price of $25,000. On January 17, 2022, our former sponsor and the Company entered into Amended Securities Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the Company cancelled the 1,437,500 founder shares and reissued 2,875,000 founder shares. On May 24, 2024, the Company and our former sponsor entered into Securities Repurchase Agreement, pursuant to which, the Company purchased back all the 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 and cancelled such ordinary shares. On May 24, 2024, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. All shares have been retroactively presented. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 225,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsors to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsors will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the initial shareholders do not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering and excluding the Private Units and underlying securities).
F-13
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the founder shares (except to certain permitted transferees) until (1) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of six months after the completion of a Business Combination or the date on which the closing price of the ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination and (2) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the completion of a Business Combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to a Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company is obligated, commencing from the first date that any securities of the Company registered on the Company’s registration statement for its Proposed Public Offering are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, to pay Sponsor, Trending Management Corporation, a monthly fee of $10,000 for general and administrative services. This agreement will terminate upon completion of the Company’s business combination or the liquidation of the trust account to public shareholders.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On March 31, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the former Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000 (the “First Promissory Note”). The First Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. On December 28, 2021, the Company amended the First Promissory Note to extend the due date to the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering.
On May 24, 2024, the former Sponsor assigned all the rights and obligations under the First Promissory Note to our existing Sponsor. On May 24, 2024, the Company issued a second unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $500,000 (the “Second Promissory Note”). The Second Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2024 or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. In connection with this assignment, the existing Sponsor paid to the former Sponsor the principal amount outstanding under the First Promissory Note as of the date of the assignment, the First Promissory Note was cancelled, and such amount was deemed a draw under the Second Promissory Note.
As of May 31, 2024, the principal amount due and owing under the Second Promissory Note was $213,262 and as of May 31, 2023, the principal amount due and owing under the First Promissory Note was $161,351.
Related Party Loans
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 directors and officers 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. 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. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units of the post-Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Private Units. As of May 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had no borrowings under the working capital loans.
F-14
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Related Party Extension Loans
As discussed in Note 1, the Company may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to twelve times, each by an additional month (for a total of 24 months if the Event occurs)) to complete a Business Combination. In order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate a Business Combination, the Sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the Trust Account $200,000, or $230,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $0.033 per public share in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,800,000 (or $2,070,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.30 per public share, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each one month extension. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. The terms of the promissory note to be issued in connection with any such loans 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 loans. Furthermore, the letter agreement with the initial shareholder contains a provision pursuant to which the Sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans in the event that the Company does not complete a Business Combination. The Sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the Trust Account to extend the time for the Company to complete a Business Combination.
NOTE 6 — SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICIT
Ordinary shares
The Company is authorized to issue unlimited ordinary shares with no par value. Holders of the Company’s ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At inception, there was one ordinary share issued and outstanding. On March 31, 2021, the Company cancelled the one share for no consideration and the Sponsor purchased 1,437,500 ordinary shares for an aggregate price of $25,000. On January 17, 2022, our former sponsor and the Company entered into Amended Securities Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the Company cancelled the 1,437,500 founder shares and reissued 2,875,000 founder shares. On May 24, 2024, the Company and our former sponsor entered into Securities Repurchase Agreement, pursuant to which, the Company purchased back all the 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 and cancelled such founder shares. On May 24, 2024, our existing sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share.
Among the 1,725,000 shares issued to the Sponsor, 225,000 ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full, so that the initial shareholder will own 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (excluding the sale of the Private Units and assuming the initial shareholder do not purchase any Units in the Proposed Public Offering).
Rights
Each holder of a right will receive one-tenth (1/10) of one ordinary share upon consummation of a Business Combination, even if the holder of such right redeemed all shares held by it in connection with a Business Combination. No fractional shares will be issued upon exchange of the rights. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive its additional shares upon consummation of a Business Combination as the consideration related thereto has been included in the Unit purchase price paid for by investors in the Proposed Offering. If the Company enters into a definitive agreement for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary share basis and each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert its rights in order to receive 1/10 share underlying each right (without paying additional consideration). The shares issuable upon exchange of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of the Company).
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 rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of a Business Combination. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
F-15
EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 7 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in Israel and Palestine 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.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the Private Units (and all underlying securities) and any securities our initial shareholder, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this Proposed Public Offering. The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these ordinary shares are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Private Units (and underlying securities) and securities issued in payment of Working Capital Loans (or underlying securities) or loans to extend our life can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company consummates a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a Business Combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriter Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 900,000 Units (over and above 6,000,000 Units referred to above) solely to cover over-allotments at the “Proposed Public Offering” price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriters will be entitled to cash underwriting discount of 4.5% of the gross proceeds of the “Proposed Public Offering”. 2.0% or $1,200,000 (or $1,380,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of cash underwriting discount will be payable at the closing of the “Proposed Public Offering”. The balance of 2.5% or $1,500,000 (or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of underwriting discount will be deferred and payable until the closing of the initial Business Combination.
Leases
The Company entered into short-term lease agreement for an office space, expiring through May 6, 2025. For the years ended May 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company incurred rent expense of $368 and $1,865, respectively.
NOTE 8 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date and through the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Other than as described in these audited financial statements, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
F-16
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
| Legal fees and expenses | 200,000 | |||
| Accounting fees and expenses | 80,000 | |||
| SEC/FINRA Expenses | 20,000 | |||
| NASDAQ listing and filing fees | 50,000 | |||
| Printing and engraving expenses | 30,000 | |||
| Miscellaneous expenses | 120,000 | |||
| Total offering expenses | $ | 500,000 |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, subject to certain limitations, the company shall indemnify its directors and officers against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with legal, administrative or investigative proceedings. Such indemnity only applies if the person acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the company and, in the case of criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe that their conduct was unlawful. The decision of the directors as to whether the person acted honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the company and as to whether the person had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful is, in the absence of fraud, sufficient for the purposes of the memorandum and articles of association, unless a question of law is involved. The termination of any proceedings by any judgment, order, settlement, conviction or the entering of a nolle prosequi does not, by itself, create a presumption that the person did not act honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the company or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
Effective May 24, 2021, our sponsor was issued 1,725,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
On January 17, 2022, the Company’s former sponsor and the Company entered into Amended Securities Subscription Agreement, pursuant to which the Company cancelled the 1,437,500 founder shares and reissued 2,875,000 founder shares. The 2,875,000 founder shares were issued in connection with the Company’s organization 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. On May 24, 2024, the Company and the Company’s former sponsor entered into Securities Repurchase Agreement, pursuant to which, the Company purchased back all the 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 and cancelled such ordinary shares.
On May 24, 2024, the Company’s new sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,725,000 ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Such securities were issued in connection with the Company’s organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. The Company’s sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
In addition, the Coany’s sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 220,000 private placement units (or 238,000 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,200,000, or $2,380,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Each unit consists of one private placement share and one private placement right granting the holder thereof the right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of an ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination. 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. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
II-1
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | Exhibits. The list of exhibits following the signature page of this registration statement is incorporated herein by reference. |
| (b) | Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the 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 of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
| (c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
| (1) | That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 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 first use, 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 to such date of first use. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
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| (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. |
| (5) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) (§ 230.424(b) of this chapter) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement. |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; |
| (6) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
| * | Filed herewith. |
| ** | To be filed by amendment. |
| *** | Previously filed. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on the 9th day of August, 2024.
| EXPECTATION ACQUISITION CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Wanjiao Pu | |
| Name: | Wanjiao Pu | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer | |
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Wanjiao Pu and Chi Zhuang as true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, 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 to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent 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 Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Position | Date | ||
| /s/ Wanjiao Pu | Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer | August 9, 2024 | ||
| Wanjiao Pu | ||||
| /s/ Chi Zhuang | Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer | August 9, 2024 | ||
| Chi Zhuang | ||||
| /s/ Jun Liu | Director | August 9, 2024 | ||
| Jun Liu | ||||
| /s/ Hai Lin | Director | August 9, 2024 | ||
| Hai Lin | ||||
| /s/ Ziqiang Zheng | Director | August 9, 2024 | ||
| Ziqiang Zheng |
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SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES
Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of Expectation Acquisition Corporation has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in Newark, Delaware on August 9, 2024.
Puglisi & Associates
| By: | /s/ Donald J. Puglisi | |
| Name: | Donald J. Puglisi | |
| Title: | Managing Director |
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