PROSPECTUS | Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) Registration No. 333-280230 |
$100,000,000
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
10,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares
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Cantor Equity Partners, Inc. is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company.
This is an initial public offering of our Class A ordinary shares at an offering price of $10.00 per share. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to cover over-allotments, if any. Unlike in the initial public offerings by certain other special purpose acquisition companies, this is not an offering of units and investors will not receive warrants that would become exercisable following the completion of our initial business combination.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering and we do not seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we will redeem 100% of the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes paid and payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Cantor EP Holdings, LLC, has agreed to purchase 300,000 Class A ordinary shares at a price of $10.00 per share ($3,000,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. These Class A ordinary shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus.
Our initial shareholders own 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares (up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, as described herein. Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, holders of our Class B ordinary shares and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law. Class A ordinary shares issued in connection with the conversion of our Class B ordinary shares issued prior to the consummation of our initial business combination are subject to the same restrictions as applicable to the Class B ordinary shares prior to such conversion including, among other things, certain transfer restrictions, waiver of redemption rights and the obligation to vote in favor of an initial business combination as described elsewhere in this prospectus.
Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000, which we refer to herein as the sponsor note, which sponsor note will be drawn by us in connection with the consummation of our business combination, an extension of time for us to consummate a business combination or our liquidation (each, a “Redemption Event”), such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. Upon consummation of our initial business combination, the outstanding amounts under the sponsor note will be repaid by us. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the outstanding amounts under the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account.
Currently, there is no public market for our Class A ordinary shares. Our Class A ordinary shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “CEP”. We expect that our Class A ordinary shares will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market on or promptly after the date of this prospectus.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 33 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 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, whether directly or indirectly, is being or may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of our securities.
Per Share | Total | |||||
Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 100,000,000 | ||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | $ | 0.20 | $ | 2,000,000 | ||
Proceeds, before expenses, to Cantor Equity Partners, Inc. | $ | 9.80 | $ | 98,000,000 |
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(1) No commissions will be paid on any Class A ordinary shares sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option. We will also pay $100,000 to Odeon Capital Group LLC for acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” in this offering. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” beginning on page 161 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 shares, $100,000,000 or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per public share in either case) will be deposited into a trust account in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $1,000,000, together with $1,750,000 of additional committed loans by our sponsor, will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering.
The underwriters are offering the Class A ordinary shares for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the Class A ordinary shares to the purchasers on or about August 14, 2024.
Sole Book-Running Manager
Cantor
AUGUST 12, 2024
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F-1 |
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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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 the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, references to:
• “amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering;
• “Cantor” are to Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, an affiliate of us, our sponsor and of CF&Co.;
• “CF&Co.” are to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., the representative of the underwriters in this offering;
• “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;
• “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares initially subscribed for and purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering, and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion thereof as provided herein;
• “initial shareholders” are to our sponsor and any other holders of founder shares prior to this offering (or their permitted transferees);
• “Investment Company Act” are to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;
• “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;
• “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares, collectively;
• “permitted investments” are to the investments that we are permitted to make with the proceeds held in the trust account pursuant to the investment management trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, which are (i) U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or (ii) 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;
• “private placement shares” are to the 300,000 Class A ordinary shares sold to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering, which private placement shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus;
• “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders and management team to the extent our initial shareholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial shareholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public shareholder” shall only apply with respect to such public shares;
• “public shares” are to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
• “specified future issuance” are to an issuance of a class of equity or equity-linked securities to specified purchasers, which may include affiliates of Cantor, that we may determine to make in connection with financing our initial business combination, to the extent permitted under applicable regulatory and contractual requirements related to those specified purchasers;
• “sponsor” are to Cantor EP Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company which is 100% owned by Cantor;
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• “sponsor note” are to the promissory note evidencing the loan our sponsor will make to us in connection with the consummation of our business combination, an extension of time for us to consummate a business combination or our liquidation (each, a “Redemption Event”), such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares; and
• “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Any forfeiture of shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividends described in this prospectus will take effect as share capitalizations as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and gives effect to the cancellation of an aggregate of 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares by our sponsor in June 2023 and February 2024.
Our Company
We are a blank check company incorporated on November 11, 2020 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, 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 discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company.
Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we expect to focus on a target in an industry where we believe our management team’s and our affiliates’ expertise will provide us with a competitive advantage, including the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries. Further, our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any characteristics, although we expect to favor potential target companies with certain characteristics which include, but are not limited to, positive long term growth prospects, competitive advantages, consolidation opportunities, recurring revenue or the potential for recurring revenue, opportunities for operational improvement and attractive margins or the potential for attractive margins.
Our officers consist of:
• Howard W. Lutnick, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, who joined Cantor in 1983 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor since 1992 and as Chairman since 1996; and
• Jane Novak, our Chief Financial Officer, who joined Cantor in October 2017 and, since then, has served as the Global Head of Accounting Policy.
We, our sponsor, and CF&Co. are all affiliates of Cantor. Cantor is a diversified company primarily specializing in financial and real estate services for customers operating in the global financial and commercial real estate markets. Cantor’s businesses include CF&Co., a leading independent middle market investment bank and primary dealer; a controlling interest in BGC Group, Inc., or BGC, whose Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “BGC”, a leading global brokerage and technology company primarily servicing the global financial markets; and a controlling interest in Newmark Group, Inc., or Newmark, whose Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “NMRK”, a leading full-service commercial real estate services business. We believe that the combination of our management team’s and our affiliates’ financial services, financial and real estate technology, and real estate industry expertise and proven ability to grow businesses through acquisitions make us uniquely qualified to pursue acquisitions.
Cantor was founded over 75 years ago and has been led by Mr. Lutnick since 1992. Cantor has successfully built a well-capitalized business across multiple business lines. Cantor has been at the forefront of financial and technological innovation in its industries, developing electronic markets and providing superior service to thousands of customers globally.
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Mr. Lutnick has led Cantor’s expansion from a broker of fixed income and equity products to a premier global financial services provider, which is recognized for its leading offerings across several areas including:
• institutional equity and fixed income capital markets services;
• investment banking;
• prime brokerage;
• fully electronic execution of various financial asset classes;
• market data;
• financial software and analytics;
• wholesale financial brokerage;
• energy and commodities brokerage;
• software and network services; and
• commercial real estate services, asset management, loan servicing and financing operations.
Mr. Lutnick, in his position as an officer of Cantor and its affiliates, has a history of making successful acquisitions. Since 2005, Cantor and its affiliates have acquired over 75 companies in the financial and real estate services industries. In financial services, these acquisitions have included, among others, the publicly traded wholesale and inter-dealer brokerage firm GFI Group, Inc., or GFI, Sunrise Brokers Group, a global leader in listed and over the counter (“OTC”) derivative products brokerage, and Ed Broking Group Limited (“Ed Broking”), an independent Lloyd’s of London insurance broker (which BGC subsequently sold in November 2021). In real estate services, these acquisitions have included, among others, Newmark & Company Real Estate, Inc., Berkeley Point Financial LLC, which is one of the nation’s leading providers of multifamily capital solutions, engaged primarily in the origination, funding, sale and servicing of multifamily loans guaranteed by Government Sponsored Enterprises, Grubb & Ellis, Apartment Realty Advisors (“ARA”), and Cornish & Carey. Most of Newmark’s subsidiaries, including, ARA, Berkeley Point, and Cornish & Carey now operate under the name “Newmark” or “NKF”.
Mr. Lutnick has also led Cantor’s successful exit from many of its acquisitions and investments. For example, in 1996, Cantor launched eSpeed, its fully electronic treasuries trading platform. Cantor developed and launched eSpeed, which consummated an initial public offering in 1996, and into which a predecessor of BGC was merged in 2008. In June 2013, BGC sold the eSpeed business to Nasdaq, Inc. for $750 million in cash and up to $484 million earn-out shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (based on the stock price of Nasdaq, Inc. at the time the deal was announced). Following BGC’s acquisition of GFI in 2015, BGC, whose Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is Mr. Lutnick, sold GFI’s Trayport business, a leading intermediary and provider of trading technologies and support services to the global OTC and listed markets, to Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (“ICE”) for $650 million in exchange for 2,527,658 ICE common shares issued with respect to the $650 million purchase price as adjusted at closing. In addition, on November 1, 2021, BGC successfully completed the sale of its insurance brokerage business (including Ed Broking and Besso) pursuant to which BGC received gross cash proceeds of approximately $535 million from the buyer. The investment in BGC’s insurance brokerage business generated an internal rate of return of 21.2% for BGC’s shareholders.
Over Cantor’s and its affiliates’ history, its employees have developed long-term relationships with a wide range of U.S. and foreign private and public organizations of all sizes. As a result, we believe that our management team is well positioned to identify and execute business combination opportunities. We will seek to capitalize on the substantial resources and the global infrastructure of Cantor and we believe the relationships of Cantor and our officers will provide us with exposure to a broad selection of potential acquisition targets. However, there is no formal agreement between us and Cantor with respect to the provision of any services to us by Cantor or its employees. Consequently, while we expect Cantor and its employees to provide us services so that we can capitalize on the substantial resources of Cantor and leverage Cantor’s relationships, there is no guarantee that Cantor or its employees will provide any services to us or that we will be able to do so.
Entities controlled by Cantor have also sponsored eight additional SPACs: CF Finance Acquisition Corp. (“Cantor SPAC I”), CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II (“Cantor SPAC II”), CF Finance Acquisition Corp. III (“Cantor SPAC III”), CF Acquisition Corp. IV (“Cantor SPAC IV”), CF Acquisition Corp. V (“Cantor SPAC V”), CF Acquisition Corp. VI (“Cantor SPAC VI”), CF Acquisition Corp. VII (“Cantor SPAC VII”) and CF Acquisition Corp. VIII (“Cantor SPAC VIII”).
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Cantor SPAC I consummated its initial public offering in December 2018 and consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 with GCM Grosvenor Inc. (“GCM Grosvenor”), a global alternative asset management firm, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $10.76. Cantor SPAC II consummated its initial public offering in August 2020 and consummated its initial business combination in March 2021 with View, Inc. (“View”), a smart buildings platform and technology company, that was taken private by its creditors in connection with a Chapter 11 financial restructuring in May 2024. Cantor SPAC III consummated its initial public offering in November 2020 and consummated its initial business combination in August 2021 with AEye, Inc. (“AEye”), a provider of active lidar systems technology for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver-assistance systems, and robotic vision applications, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $1.84 (after giving effect to a 30 to 1 reverse stock split in December 2023). Cantor SPAC V consummated its initial public offering in February 2021 and consummated its initial business combination in January 2022 with Satellogic, Inc. (“Satellogic”), a vertically integrated geospatial analytics company, whose share price as of July 16, 2024 was $1.165. Cantor SPAC VI consummated its initial public offering in February 2021 and consummated its initial business combination in September 2022 with Rumble Inc. (“Rumble”), a neutral video platform, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $7.11. Cantor SPAC VIII consummated its initial public offering in March 2021 and consummated its initial business combination in November 2023 with XBP Europe, Inc. (“XBP Europe”), a pan-European integrator of bills and payments, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $1.60. Cantor SPAC IV consummated its initial public offering in December 2020 and was liquidated in December 2023. Cantor SPAC VII consummated its initial public offering in December 2021, has not entered into a business combination agreement and is focused on searching for businesses in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. We refer to Cantor SPAC VII herein as the “Active Cantor SPAC” and Cantor SPAC I, Cantor SPAC II, Cantor SPAC III, Cantor SPAC IV, Cantor SPAC V, Cantor SPAC VI and Cantor SPAC VIII as the “Prior Cantor SPACs”.
Notwithstanding the foregoing descriptions, past performance of Cantor, our management team, any of their respective affiliates and any Prior Cantor SPAC is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a candidate for our initial business combination; (ii) that we will be able to successfully consummate the closing of any business combination into which we have entered; or (iii) that the post-business combination performance of any such combined company will be positive. You should not rely on any positive historical performance records of Cantor, our management team, any of their respective affiliates or any Prior Cantor SPAC as indicative of our future performance. Our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities, including the Active Cantor SPAC. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers or directors and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”.
Business Strategy
Our acquisition strategy is to identify and acquire a company in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our management team. Our acquisition selection process will leverage the network of contacts developed by our management team and those of our sponsor and its affiliates that we believe should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. Upon completion of this offering, our management team will begin the process of locating, identifying, pursuing and reviewing potential target companies and promising leads.
Our management team and Cantor and its affiliates have experience in:
• sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;
• fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams;
• negotiating transactions;
• executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions;
• accessing the capital markets;
• operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, monitoring and recruiting talent;
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• acquiring and integrating companies; and
• developing and growing companies, both organically and through acquisitions and strategic transactions and expanding the product range and geographic footprint of their businesses.
Investment Criteria
While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to focus on industries that complement our management team’s background, and to capitalize on the ability of our officers and directors to identify and acquire a business or businesses consistent with the experience of our management team and affiliates of our sponsor. We therefore intend to focus on potential target companies primarily in the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries.
Further, our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any characteristics, although we expect to favor potential target companies with certain characteristics which include, but are not limited to, positive long term growth prospects, competitive advantages, consolidation opportunities, recurring revenue or the potential for recurring revenue, opportunities for operational improvement and attractive margins or the potential for attractive margins.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. A potential target company may not have all or any of the characteristics described above.
Initial Business Combination
So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors. If we are no longer listed on Nasdaq, we would not be required to satisfy the above-referenced fair market value test.
We may, at our option, pursue a business combination opportunity jointly with Cantor or one or more entities affiliated with Cantor, which we refer to as an “Affiliated Joint Acquisition.” We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with the Active Cantor SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Cantor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. We refer to this potential future issuance, or a similar issuance to other specified purchasers, as a “specified future issuance” throughout this prospectus. The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance. Pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of our Class B ordinary shares, any such specified future issuance would result in an adjustment to the conversion ratio such that the founder shares would continue to represent 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including the private placement shares) plus all shares issued in the specified future issuance, unless the holders of a majority of the then-issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agreed to waive
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such adjustment with respect to the specified future issuance at the time thereof. We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares at the time of any such specified future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A shareholders on structuring an initial business combination; (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares; or (iv) as part of the Affiliated Joint Acquisition. If such adjustment is not waived, the specified future issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B ordinary shares, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. If such adjustment is waived, the specified future issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our ordinary shares. The issuance of any securities in connection with a financing provided by an affiliate of ours relating to an Affiliated Joint Acquisition will not result in such an adjustment to the conversion ratio of our Class B ordinary shares.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way 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, or (ii) in such a way so 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, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described above. However, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
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 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. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to any forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are
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unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to vote on the extension and to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes paid and payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law.
Our Business Combination Process
In evaluating prospective business combinations, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, a review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with management and their advisors (if applicable), on-site inspection of facilities and assets to the extent possible, document reviews, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us and which we deem appropriate. We will also utilize our expertise and our sponsor’s expertise in analyzing companies and evaluating operating projections, financial projections and determining the appropriate return expectations.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with Cantor or its affiliates or our sponsor, officers or directors, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with Cantor or its affiliates or 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 firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account.
Cantor will be the beneficial owner of founder shares and private placement shares following this offering by virtue of its ownership of our sponsor, and members of our management team may indirectly own such securities. Because of such ownership and interests, Cantor, and any of our officers and directors who have an ownership interest in or are employed by Cantor, 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 paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our sponsor could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for our public shareholders.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, the founder shares and private placement shares may be worthless, except to the extent the holders thereof receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor and our executive officers and directors who have an ownership interest in or are employed by Cantor to complete a transaction, even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for our 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 were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
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All of our officers are employed by Cantor or its affiliates. Cantor is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Cantor will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Cantor may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Cantor may decide to share with us. We have not, however, selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, Cantor and their affiliates may sponsor, form or participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, invest or otherwise become affiliated with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, or may pursue other business or investment ventures, even prior to us entering into a definitive agreement for our initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of the Active Cantor SPAC, which is focused on searching for businesses in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. The Active Cantor SPAC may compete with us for business combination opportunities. If the Active Cantor SPAC decides to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunity.
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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 110 East 59th Street, New York, New York 10022 and our telephone number is (212) 938-5000.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
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We are 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, 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 Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to emerging growth company will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
In addition, after completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may utilize exemptions from certain of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements. We intend to utilize one or more of these exemptions as described in this prospectus. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
We have filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
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THE OFFERING
In deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
Securities offered | 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at $10.00 per share. | |
Nasdaq symbol | “CEP” | |
Trading commencement | The Class A ordinary shares will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. | |
Ordinary shares: | ||
Number issued and outstanding before this offering |
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Number issued and outstanding |
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Appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company outside of the Cayman Islands; Voting Rights |
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(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 375,000 Class B ordinary shares.
(2) Includes up to 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(3) The Class B ordinary shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”
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Founder shares | In November 2020, our sponsor purchased 14,375,000 founder shares for a purchase price of $25,000. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, our sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which we cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after this offering (not including the private placement shares). As such, after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering), the founder shares will represent 20% of our issued and outstanding shares (not including the private placement shares) and our initial shareholders, through their ownership of the founder shares and the private placement shares, will collectively own 21.9 % of our issued and outstanding shares. Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering. Up to 375,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised so that the founder shares will continue to represent 20% of our ordinary shares after this offering (not including the private placement shares). | |
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares being sold in this offering, except that: | ||
• only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors and on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (as further described herein), prior to the consummation of our initial business combination; | ||
• the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; | ||
• the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
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• our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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. | ||
• pursuant to a letter agreement with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares (whether in person or by proxy). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 3,600,001, or 36.0%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted at the meeting) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming in each case the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company; and | ||
• the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. |
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Transfer restrictions on founder |
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Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights |
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The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities. |
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Private placement shares | Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 300,000 private placement shares at a price of $10.00 per share ($3,000,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, except (i) they are subject to lock-up as described herein and (ii) holders of such Class A ordinary shares will be entitled to certain registration rights. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement shares will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account ($10.00 per public share in either case). If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement shares held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law). | |
Transfer restrictions on private placement shares |
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Proceeds to be held in trust |
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Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement shares will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) 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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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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Sponsor note | Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor note. | |
Ability to extend time to complete business combination |
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Anticipated expenses and funding sources |
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• the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $250,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $750,000 in expenses relating to this offering; | ||
• the proceeds of the $1,750,000 loan commitment made by our sponsor for working capital needs; and |
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• any additional loans or investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance additional funds or invest in us, and provided that any such loans (i) will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of an initial business combination and (ii) will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering. | ||
Conditions to completing our initial business combination |
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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way 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, or (ii) in such a way so 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, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described above. However, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and 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 |
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post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable. | ||
Permitted purchases of public shares by our affiliates |
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We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination. See “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our shares” for a description of how our initial shareholders, directors, officers or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase Class A ordinary shares in any private transaction. | ||
Additionally, in the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers 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 to the extent such Rule is applicable 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; | ||
• if our initial shareholders, directors, officers or 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; |
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• our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our initial business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our shares purchased by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; | ||
• our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would either not possess any redemption rights with respect to our shares or they would waive such rights; and | ||
• we would disclose in a Form 8-K filed prior to our shareholders meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following items, to the extent material: | ||
• the amount of our shares purchased outside of the redemption offer by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates, along with the average purchase price; | ||
• the purpose of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates; | ||
• the impact, if any, of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved at the shareholders meeting; | ||
• the identities of our shareholders who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our shareholders (e.g., 5% shareholders) who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates; and | ||
• the number of our shares for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer as of a date shortly prior to the filing date of the Form 8-K. | ||
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to reduce the number of shares being submitted for redemption 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. Any such purchases of our Class A ordinary shares may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our Class A ordinary shares may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq. |
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Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination |
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We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the 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. 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. | ||
Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and stock or share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by applicable 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 Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules. |
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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 under 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 under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. | ||
Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. | ||
Whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above. 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 Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. | ||
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions 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 applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, 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 under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and | ||
• file proxy materials with the SEC. |
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If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares (whether in person or by proxy). Our initial shareholders will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). | ||
For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 3,600,001, or 36.0%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted at the meeting) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming in each case the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company. We intend to give prior written notice of any such meeting as is required by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, or if they vote at all. | ||
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares. |
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Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial 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 initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. | ||
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 25% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a |
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Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our memorandum and articles of association |
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provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. In all other instances, other than with respect the right of only our holders of Class B ordinary shares to vote for directors prior to our initial business combination, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law, or applicable stock exchange rules. Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we may not issue additional securities that can vote with ordinary shareholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or on our initial business combination, or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 21.9% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. 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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (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 any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. | ||
Release of funds in trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination |
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Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares or private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period. | ||
Limited payments to insiders | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, non-cash payments, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, 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 $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor, which our sponsor has committed to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; | ||
• Repayment of the $1,750,000 loan commitment made by our sponsor for working capital; | ||
• Repayment of the sponsor note in an amount up to $1,500,000; | ||
• Payment to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month; | ||
• We will pay cash fees to our independent directors of $50,000 per year, payable quarterly; |
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• Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; | ||
• Repayment of any additional 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, which will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering, and the other terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto; and | ||
• Payment to CF&Co. of its underwriting discount, Marketing Fee, fees for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking services CF&Co. may provide to us in the future, including in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, and reimbursement of CF&Co. for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services. | ||
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 | We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will initially be composed of three directors, including our 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. We intend to appoint additional independent director(s) to our audit committee to replace our non-independent member(s) during the one year period following this offering pursuant to the Nasdaq phase-in provisions for initial public offerings. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” | |
Conflicts of Interest | We, our sponsor and CF&Co. are controlled by Cantor. CF Group Management, Inc. (“CFGM”) is the managing general partner of Cantor and Howard W. Lutnick, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CFGM and the trustee of CFGM’s sole stockholder. Therefore, we are deemed to be an affiliate of CF&Co., a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or FINRA. As a result, CF&Co. is deemed to have a “conflict of interest” under Rule 5121(f)(5) of the Conduct Rules of FINRA. Accordingly, this offering will be made in compliance with Rule 5121 of FINRA’s Conduct Rules, which prohibits CF&Co. from making sales to discretionary accounts without the prior written approval of the account holder and requires that a “qualified independent underwriter,” as defined by FINRA participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standard of due diligence with respect to such document. We have engaged Odeon Capital Group LLC, or Odeon, to be the qualified independent underwriter and participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” in respect thereto. We agreed to pay Odeon a fee of $100,000 upon the completion of this offering in consideration for its services and expenses as the qualified independent underwriter. Odeon will receive no other compensation. All of our officers are employed by Cantor or its affiliates. Cantor is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, |
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one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Cantor will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Cantor may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Cantor may decide to share with us. In addition, our officers and directors may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to other entities to which they owe duties or clients of affiliates of our sponsor. | ||
As a result, affiliates of our sponsor and their respective clients may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. If any of them decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunity. In addition, investment ideas generated within Cantor, including by any of our officers and other persons who may make decisions for the company, may be suitable both for us and for affiliates of our sponsor or any of their respective clients, and will be directed initially to such persons rather than to us. None of Cantor nor members of our management team who are also employed by Cantor or any of its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware unless it is offered to them solely in their capacity as a director or officer of the Company and after they have satisfied their contractual and fiduciary obligations to other parties. | ||
Our sponsor, officers and directors, Cantor and their affiliates may sponsor, form or participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company or may pursue other business or investment ventures, even prior to us entering into a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of the Active Cantor SPAC, which is focused on searching for businesses in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. The Active Cantor SPAC may compete with us for business combination opportunities. If the Active Cantor SPAC decides to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunity. | ||
As described herein, 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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC |
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before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. | ||
Conflicts may arise from Cantor’s affiliation with us, their or their affiliates provision of services both to us, the Active Cantor SPAC, if applicable, and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by Cantor for its own account. CF&Co. is often engaged as a financial advisor, or placement agent, to corporations and other entities and their directors and managers in connection with the sale of those entities, their assets or their subsidiaries. Alternatively, CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, may be a financial advisor to a target business that we pursue a business combination with and CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, may receive fees from the target business in connection with a business combination. CF&Co. also represents potential buyer’s businesses and may be incentivized or obligated to direct an opportunity to one of these buyers in lieu of us, thereby eliminating or reducing the investment opportunity available to us. For example, CF&Co. is engaged by the Active Cantor SPAC in connection with the marketing of a business combination by the Active Cantor SPAC. CF&Co. may be engaged from time to time by the Active Cantor SPAC to provide financial advisory and placement agency services in connection with such business combination. | ||
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with the Active Cantor SPAC. This would only occur, though, if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and our sponsor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition could involve a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination. | ||
The low price that our sponsor paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our sponsor 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 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, the founder shares and private placement shares may be worthless, except to the extent the holders thereof receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor and our executive officers and directors who have an ownership interest in or are employed by Cantor to complete a transaction, even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. | ||
For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” |
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Indemnity | Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us (except for our independent auditors and underwriters of this offering), or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the redemption amount to below the lesser of (i) the sum of (A) $10.00 per public share and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the funding of the Sponsor Note in connection with a Redemption Event and (ii) the sum of (A) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less interest released to pay taxes, and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the funding of the Sponsor Note in connection with a Redemption Event, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. |
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RISKS
We are a company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 33 of this prospectus.
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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
June 30, | ||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
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Working capital (deficiency) | $ | (373,058 | ) | |
Total assets | $ | 42,672 |
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Total liabilities | $ | 373,058 |
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Shareholder’s deficit | $ | (330,386 | ) |
If no initial business combination is completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares or private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
Some of the statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
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.
An investment in our Class A ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. 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 materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
• our being a company with no operating history and no revenues;
• our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
• our ability to complete our initial business combination;
• our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses;
• our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
• our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
• our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
• our pool of prospective target businesses;
• the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
• our public shares’ potential liquidity and trading;
• the lack of a market for our Class A ordinary shares;
• the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
• the nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares resulting in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination;
• the value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely being substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our public shares at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share;
• the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties;
• our financial performance following this offering;
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• the increased number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed in recent years, which may result in more competition for attractive targets and 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;
• that 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 conflict in the Middle East;
• that 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;
• that, 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, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the securities held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation, and as a result, following the liquidation of the securities in the trust account, we may receive less interest on the funds held in the trust account than we would have had the trust account remained so invested, such that our public shareholders would receive less upon any redemption or our liquidation than what they would have received had the investments not been liquidated;
• that our initial shareholders may receive additional Class A ordinary shares as a result of the issuance of certain securities in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination;
• that we may be subject to a 1% U.S. federal excise tax on stock buybacks in certain situations;
• risks and uncertainties related to the financial services, commercial real estate services, financial technology, healthcare, software and technology industries; and
• the other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.
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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An investment in our Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares. 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 Class A ordinary shares could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the initial business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, to vote their founder shares and private placement shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 3,600,001, or 36.0%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted at the meeting) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming in each case the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company. Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will own shares representing 21.9% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial shareholders to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of the initial business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete an initial business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote.
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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 an initial business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into an initial business combination 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 initial business combination. 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 initial business combination. Furthermore, we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into an initial business combination with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. As a result, our obligations to redeem public shares for which redemption is requested may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In addition, raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our business combination. The effect of this dilution will be greater for shareholders who do not redeem. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. We may not be able to generate sufficient value from the completion of our initial business combination to overcome the dilutive impact of these and other factors, and, accordingly, you may incur a net loss on your investment.
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.
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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 an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial 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, especially if we entered into extended negotiations with a potential target that did not result in a definitive agreement. In such case, 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. The length of time it may take us to complete our diligence and negotiate a business combination may reduce the amount of time available for us to ultimately complete an initial business combination should such diligence or negotiations not lead to a consummated initial business combination.
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 $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve. An increasing number of SPACs have liquidated beginning in the second half of 2022 due to an inability to complete an initial business combination within their allotted time periods. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period and we do not seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, 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 liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.15 per share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event). In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 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 $10.15 per share” and other risk factors below.
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We may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would redeem our public shares.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. However, we may decide not to seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we do not seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, and 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, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, or our prospects.
The funds in our operating account and our trust account will initially be held in banks or other financial institutions. The funds held in our trust account may only be invested in permitted investments or held as cash or in demand deposit accounts at a bank. The holding of the assets in the trust account in any permitted investments is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk may increase the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest-bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Our cash held in these accounts may exceed any applicable Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. Should events, including limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments occur with respect to the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds, or that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, the value of the assets in our trust account could be impaired, which could have a material impact on our operating results, liquidity, financial condition and prospects. For example, on March 10, 2023, the FDIC announced that Silicon Valley Bank had been closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. We cannot guarantee that the banks or other financial institutions that will hold our funds will not experience similar issues.
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 conflict in the Middle East.
United States and global markets have experienced, and may or may continue to experience, volatility and disruption following the geopolitical instability resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East. In response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, 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, or have undertaken or will undertake military strikes in the Middle East, increasing geopolitical tensions among a number of nations. 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 continuing or new sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
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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 conflict in the Middle East and subsequent sanctions or related actions, could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies and 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.
Military or other conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East or elsewhere and other disruptions to the equity or debt capital markets, including as a result of inflation in the United States and elsewhere, may lead to increased volume and price volatility for publicly traded securities, or affect the operations or financial condition of potential target companies, which could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Military or other conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East or elsewhere and other disruptions to the equity or debt capital markets, including as a result of inflation in the United States and elsewhere, may lead to increased volume and price volatility for publicly traded securities, or affect the operations or financial condition of potential target companies, and to other company or industry-specific, national, regional or international economic disruptions and economic uncertainty, any of which could make it more difficult for us to identify a business combination target and consummate an initial business combination on acceptable commercial terms, or at all.
There may be fewer attractive targets available for acquisition due to the increased number of special purpose acquisition companies that have gone public in recent years 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, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and 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.
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 in ways adverse to us and our management team. The premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
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The increased cost 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 may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we may seek to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we may anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve any desired operational improvements, or such improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we may anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, directors, officers 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 Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates may purchase public 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 or duty to do so. Any such purchases shall be effected at a price per share no higher than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to have its shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers and 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. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
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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 initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares or not to elect to have their public shares redeemed. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares in such transactions.
The purpose of any such transactions could be 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. Any such purchases of our shares may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our shares may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our shares on Nasdaq. 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.
Additionally, in the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers 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 to the extent such Rule is applicable 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
• if our initial shareholders, directors, officers or 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 initial business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our shares purchased by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
• our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would either not possess any redemption rights with respect to our shares or they would waive such rights; and
• we would disclose in a Form 8-K filed prior to our shareholders meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following items, to the extent material:
• the amount of our shares purchased outside of the redemption offer by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates, along with the average purchase price;
• the purpose of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates;
• the impact, if any, of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved at the shareholders meeting;
• the identities of our shareholders who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our shareholders (e.g., 5% shareholders) who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates; and
• the number of our shares for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer as of a date shortly prior to the filing date of the Form 8-K.
Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Shares” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire shares.
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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 repurchases 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, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination — Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with 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, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of other blank check companies subject to Rule 419 of the Securities Act.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares 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, since our shares will be listed on a national securities exchange, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our shares will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
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Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having business objectives similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire, including affiliates of our sponsor. 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 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 shares, 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, because we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A ordinary shares which our public shareholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event), or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.15 per share” and other risk factors below.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares not being held in the trust account, and the loan amount committed by our sponsor for working capital are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with the loan committed by our sponsor for working capital, may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. 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. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our sponsor will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event), or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.15 per share” and other risk factors below.
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If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares not being held in the trust account and the loan committed by our sponsor for working capital 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 additional loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, only approximately $250,000 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 $750,000, 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. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $750,000, 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. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed $1,750,000 to be provided to us on a non-interest bearing basis to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance additional 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. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete 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 $10.15 per share on our redemption of our public shares (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event). In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 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 $10.15 per share” and other risk factors below.
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 identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the 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 unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the initial business combination constituted an actionable material misstatement or omission.
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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 $10.15 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 and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. WithumSmith+Brown, PC, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering (including CF&Co.), will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
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 $10.15 redemption price, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the redemption amount to below the lesser of (i) the sum (A) $10.00 per public share and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the funding of the Sponsor Note in connection with a Redemption Event and (ii) the sum of (A) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less interest released to pay taxes, and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the Sponsor Note, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
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 share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
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While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account and the amount funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.15 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and us to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the
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claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine of $18,292.68 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to appoint directors.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are required to hold an annual general meeting 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 extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into two classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors elected prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a two-year term. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
We will seek to complete an initial business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector, though we intend to focus primarily on the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries, except that we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations.
Because we have not yet selected any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. In recent years, a number of target businesses have underperformed financially post-business combination. There are no assurances that the target business with which we consummate our initial business combination will perform as anticipated. 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 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 unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination in sectors which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for us. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all
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of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our Class A ordinary shares will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in an initial business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any 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 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 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.
Although we have identified general criteria for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have any or 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, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria, 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 rules, 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. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event), or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 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 $10.15 per share” and other risk factors below.
We may seek business combination opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete 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 are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board 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 or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
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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 an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
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 initial business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 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 business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such initial business combination.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete an initial 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 we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions 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 repurchases 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 or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their memorandum and articles of association, charters and other 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 an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their memorandum and articles of association, charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require the approval of a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any shares offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected shares. 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 to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), may be amended with the approval of a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. 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.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, which require the approval by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting at a general meeting) related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. In all other instances, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting, subject to applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote with holders of our ordinary shares on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or on our initial business combination. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own up to 21.9% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial 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.
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target, but intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares. As a result, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial 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. Further, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination. 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 $10.15 per share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event), or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “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 $10.15 per share,” under certain circumstances our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.
Our initial shareholders will control the appointment of our board of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will appoint all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own shares representing 21.9% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering). In addition, the Class B ordinary shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will entitle the holders to appoint all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time. As a result, our public shareholders will not have any influence over the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination. Further, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting as a single class at a general meeting.
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Neither our initial shareholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our current officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering or any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial shareholders, is and will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual general meeting of shareholders to appoint new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the initial business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a portion of the board of directors will be considered for election. In addition, since only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on directors prior to our initial business combination, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a shareholder vote. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our shares.”
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination that may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirements, including foreign investment regulations and review by government entities such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), or that may be ultimately prohibited.
Our initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirements by governmental entities, or ultimately prohibited. For example, CFIUS has authority to review direct or indirect foreign investments in U.S. companies. Among other things, CFIUS is empowered to require certain foreign investors to make mandatory filings, to charge filing fees related to such filings, and to self-initiate national security reviews of foreign direct and indirect investments in U.S. companies if the parties to that investment choose not to file voluntarily. In the case that CFIUS determines an investment to be a threat to national security, CFIUS has the power to unwind or place restrictions on the investment. Whether CFIUS has jurisdiction to review an acquisition or investment transaction depends on, among other factors, the nature and structure of the transaction, including the level of beneficial ownership interest and the nature of any information or governance rights involved. For example, investments that result in “control” of a U.S. business by a foreign person always are subject to CFIUS jurisdiction. CFIUS’s expanded jurisdiction under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 and implementing regulations that became effective on February 13, 2020 further includes investments that do not result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person but afford certain foreign investors certain information or governance rights in a U.S. business that has a nexus to “critical technologies,” “critical infrastructure” and/or “sensitive personal data.”
Our sponsor will own 21.9% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares following this offering. Our sponsor is exclusively “controlled” for CFIUS purposes by Mr. Lutnick, who is a U.S. citizen, and thus we do not believe that our sponsor is a “foreign person” as defined in the CFIUS regulations. However, it is possible that non-U.S. persons could be involved in our initial business combination (e.g., as existing shareholders of a target company or as PIPE investors), which may increase the risk that our initial business combination becomes subject to regulatory review, including review by CFIUS. As such, an initial business combination with a U.S. business or foreign business with U.S. subsidiaries that we may wish to pursue may be subject to CFIUS review. If a particular proposed initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may determine that we are required to make a mandatory filing or that we will submit to CFIUS review on a voluntary basis, or to proceed with the transaction without submitting to CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the transaction. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our proposed initial business combination, impose conditions with respect to such initial business combination or request the President of the United States to order us to divest all or a portion of the U.S. target business of our initial business combination that we acquired without first obtaining CFIUS approval, which may limit the attractiveness of, delay or prevent us from pursuing certain target companies that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected
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in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have any foreign ownership issues. In addition, certain federally licensed businesses may be subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership.
The process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we have only a limited time to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period required under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including as a result of extended regulatory review of a potential initial business combination, 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, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, our shareholders will miss the opportunity to benefit from an investment in a target company and the appreciation in value of such investment.
Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event), or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 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 $10.15 per share” and other risk factors below.
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 initial business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our shares for services they would render to us after the completion of the initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination as we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. As a result, 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.
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We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, we may consummate our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’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 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.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the Company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete an initial 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 (other than up to $1,750,000 in loans which our sponsor has committed to cover working capital costs and to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination following this offering) to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur issued and 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 issued and outstanding;
• our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares;
• using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;
• limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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• increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
• limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
• other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses.
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in 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. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with 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.
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We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our initial business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Risks Relating to Cantor, our Sponsor and Management Team
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained, though we do not expect our key personnel to remain with us after our initial business combination. 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 employ after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of either our or a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
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, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. 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.
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.
In November 2020, our sponsor purchased 14,375,000 founder shares for a purchase price of $25,000. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, our sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which we cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. Up to 375,000 of such founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after this offering (not including the private placement shares). The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase 300,000 private placement shares, for a purchase price of $3,000,000, or $10.00 per share, that will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Holders of founder shares and private placement shares have
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agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, (i) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) and (ii) not to redeem any founder shares or private placement shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, any loans from our sponsor will not be repaid if our business combination is not consummated. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.
Since our officers and directors will not be eligible to be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses, and our sponsor will not be eligible to be repaid for loans our sponsor has provided to us, if our 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 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. Reimbursement for such expenses will be paid by us out of loans by our sponsor. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. In addition, at the closing of our initial business combination, our sponsor will be repaid up to $1,750,000 in loans, which our sponsor has committed to cover working capital costs and to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination following this offering, in addition to any additional loans our sponsor chooses to make. 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.
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 an initial 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 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. In particular, our officers and non-independent directors are employed by Cantor and/or certain of its affiliates and our other directors are employees of other companies. Our directors and officers 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 may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity or other transaction should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Certain of our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, including the Active Cantor SPAC.
We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses. In addition, our officers and directors may become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act even if we have not yet entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. As a result, our officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
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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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
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 the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management — Directors and Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, shareholders 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, shareholders 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 an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so, or we may acquire a target business through an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with one or more affiliates of Cantor. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
In particular, Cantor, its affiliates, our directors and our officers have invested, and may in the future invest, in a broad array of sectors, including those in which our company may invest, and are also focused on acquisitions and investments in industries in which we may search for a target business. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. Certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including related to those companies or otherwise. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming and could divert our management’s attention, and may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons have been, may be or may in the future become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including relating to the business affairs of such companies, transactions entered into by such companies, or otherwise. Individual members of our management team and board of directors also may become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings involving claims or allegations related to or as a result of their personal conduct, either in their capacity as a corporate officer or director or otherwise,
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and may be personally named in such actions and potentially subject to personal liability. For example, (a) the directors of Cantor SPAC II (including Mr. Lutnick and Ms. Blechman) (i) were named as defendants in a class action case filed in the Northern District of California alleging violation of federal securities laws which was initially dismissed by the court with prejudice at the pleadings stage but as of June 12, 2024 reinstated for the court to consider dismissal on alternative grounds, and (ii) have been named as defendants a class action case filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery alleging breach of fiduciary duty which the parties have settled in principle and which settlement is subject to court approval, in each case, in connection with the March 2021 business combination between Cantor SPAC II and View, and (b) Mr. Lutnick has been named as a defendant in (i) a shareholder class action filed in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware alleging breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the reorganization of BGC Group, Inc. and (ii) a shareholder class action filed in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware challenging certain executive bonus compensation paid by Newmark Group, Inc. Any liability from such proceedings may or may not be covered by insurance and/or indemnification, depending on the facts and circumstances. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming. Any litigation, investigations or other proceedings and the potential outcomes of such actions may divert the attention and resources of our management team and board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or their respective affiliates which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated or competitive with our sponsor, officers or directors or their respective affiliates. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this prospectus entitled “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 an initial 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 an initial business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our shareholders from a financial point of view of an initial 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 initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest. In order to satisfy applicable regulatory or other legal requirements applicable to an Affiliated Joint Acquisition, our initial business combination may be effected on less favorable terms than otherwise would apply if the initial business combination were not an Affiliated Joint Acquisition.
We may acquire a target business through an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with one or more affiliates of Cantor. This may result in conflicts of interest as well as dilutive issuances of our shares.
We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with the Active Cantor SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Cantor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
In addition, any specified future issuance in connection with Affiliated Joint Acquisition would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of our Class B ordinary shares, which, unless waived, would result in an adjustment to the conversion ratio of our Class B ordinary shares such that the founder shares would continue to represent 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including
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the private placement shares) plus all shares issued in the specified future issuance. If such adjustment is not waived as described elsewhere in this prospectus, the specified future issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B ordinary shares, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. The issuance of any securities in connection with a financing provided by an affiliate of ours relating to an Affiliated Joint Acquisition will not result in such an adjustment to the conversion ratio of our Class B ordinary shares.
In addition to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement, we may engage CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as our lead financial advisor on our business combination and other transactions. Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor. Any fee in connection with such engagement may be conditioned upon the completion of such transactions. This financial interest in the completion of such transactions may influence the advice such affiliate provides.
In addition to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement,” we may engage CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and/or placement agent for any securities offering to occur concurrently with our initial business combination and pay such affiliate a customary financial advisory and/or placement agent fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory or placement agent fee for comparable transactions. Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor. Pursuant to any such engagement, the affiliate may earn its fee upon closing of the initial business combination. The payment of such fee would likely be conditioned upon the completion of the initial business combination. Therefore, our sponsor may have additional financial interests in the completion of the initial business combination. These financial interests may influence the advice any such affiliate provides us as our financial advisor, which advice could contribute to our decision whether to pursue a business combination with any particular target.
We may compete with other affiliates of Cantor for acquisition opportunities for our company, which could negatively impact our ability to locate a suitable business combination.
Our business strategy may overlap with some of the strategies of Cantor and certain of its other affiliates. Our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct a business combination opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us. In addition, Cantor and its affiliates specialize in financial services and real estate services for institutional customers operating in the global financial and commercial real estate markets. Acquisition opportunities that may be of interest to us may come to those other affiliates instead of us or may be pursued by those affiliates. Our affiliates are not restricted from competing with our business and none of our affiliates are required to refer any such opportunities to us. Our sponsor and its affiliates face conflicts of interest relating to performing services on our behalf and allocating investment opportunities to us, and such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities which could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We may structure an initial 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 issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new 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 shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this
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may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. 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.
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 Class A ordinary shares at an offering price of $10.00 per share 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 $0.01 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $96,500,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $3,500,000 of business combination marketing fees, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects.
At such valuation, each of our ordinary shares would have an implied value of approximately $7.54 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 24.6% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00 (the price per Class A ordinary share in this offering).
Public shares |
| 10,000,000 | |
Founder shares |
| 2,500,000 | |
Private Placement Shares |
| 300,000 | |
Total shares |
| 12,800,000 | |
Total funds in trust account available for initial business combination (less business combination marketing fee) | $ | 96,500,000 | |
Initial implied value per public share | $ | 10.00 | |
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination | $ | 7.54 |
While the implied value of $7.54 per Class A 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 $7.54 per Class A ordinary share, the 2,800,000 Class A ordinary shares that the sponsor would own upon completion of our initial business combination (after automatic conversion of the 2,500,000 founder shares) would have an implied value of $21,112,000. As a result, even if the trading price of our Class A 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 Class A ordinary shares after the initial business combination is as low as approximately $1.08 per share. As a result, our sponsor is likely to earn a substantial profit on its investment in us upon disposition of its Class A ordinary shares even if the trading price of our Class A 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.
This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
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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 share.
Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $3,025,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $3,000,000 purchase price for the private placement shares. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the founder shares and private placement shares would have an aggregate implied value of $28,000,000. Even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares were to be as low as approximately $1.08 per share, the value of the founder shares and the private placement shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, some of whom own indirect 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 management has identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and we may identify additional material weaknesses in the future. If we fail to remediate the material weakness or if we otherwise fail to establish and maintain effective control over financial reporting, it may adversely affect our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results, and may adversely affect investor confidence and business operations.
A material weakness is a deficiency or combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
In connection with our audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, management identified a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting with respect to its accounting for deferred offering costs. Specifically, in its previously issued financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 and for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2023, the Company had included certain expenses that should not have been categorized as offering expenses and, therefore, should not have been deferred. The Company determined that the changes were quantitatively material to these previously issued financial statements and, as such, the impacted financial statements were restated and reaudited.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. We continue to evaluate steps to remediate the material weakness. These remediation measures may be time consuming and costly and there is no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects. If we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
Risks Relating to Our Shares
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements and numerous complex tax laws. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly.
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Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
On January 24, 2024, the SEC adopted a series of new rules relating to SPACs (the “SPAC Rules”) requiring, among other items, (i) additional disclosures relating to SPAC business combination transactions; (ii) additional disclosures relating to dilution and to conflicts of interest involving sponsors and their affiliates in both SPAC initial public offerings and de-SPAC transactions; (iii) the use of projections by SPACs in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination transactions; and (iv) both the SPAC and the target company’s status as co-registrants on de-SPAC registration statements.
In addition, the SEC’s adopting release provided guidance (the “SPAC Guidance”) describing circumstances in which a SPAC could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, including its duration, asset composition, business purpose, and the activities of the SPAC and its management team in furtherance of such goals.
Compliance with the SPAC Rules and the SPAC Guidance may increase the costs of, and the time needed to negotiate and complete, an initial business combination, and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination.
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.
As described in the risk factor above entitled “Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations”, the SEC’s adopting release with respect to the SPAC Rules provided the SPAC Guidance describing the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act and the regulations thereunder. Whether a SPAC is an investment company will be a question of facts and circumstances. If our facts and circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how those changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company. We can give no assurance that a claim will not be made that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may have to change our operations, wind down our operations, or register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. In such event, 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.
We may also have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
• registration as an investment company;
• adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
• reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in 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. We are mindful of the SEC’s investment company definition and guidance and intend to identify and complete an initial business combination with an operating business, and not with an investment company, or to acquire minority interests in other businesses exceeding the permitted threshold.
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We do not believe that our anticipated activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in permitted investments or held as cash or in demand deposit accounts at a bank. The holding of the assets in the trust account in permitted investments is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk may increase the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in securities or assets other than as described above. 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 solely as a temporary depository for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow the redemption of our public shares as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares.
We are aware of litigation claiming that certain SPACs should be considered to be investment companies. Although we believe that these claims are without merit, we cannot guarantee that we will not be deemed to be an investment company and thus subject to the Investment Company Act.
If we are 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 an initial business combination or may result in our winding down our operations and our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event), and our public shareholders would also lose the possibility of an investment opportunity in a target company.
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, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of an initial business combination or our liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of investments in the trust account, we may receive less interest on the funds held in the trust account than we would have had the trust account remained invested in permitted investments, such that our public shareholders would receive less upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company than what they would have received had the investments not been liquidated.
The funds to be held in the trust account will, following this offering, be invested only in permitted investments or held as cash or cash like items (including demand deposit accounts) at a bank. However, 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, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the trustee with respect to the trust account, to liquidate any permitted investments held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. Following such liquidation, we may receive less interest on the funds held in the trust account than we would earn if the trust account remained invested in permitted investments.
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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 certain other expenses as permitted. As a result, any decision to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in an interest-bearing demand deposit at a bank could reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company as compared to what they would have received had the investments not been so liquidated.
In addition, we may still be deemed to be an investment company. The longer that the funds in the trust account are held in short-term U.S. government treasury obligations or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, the greater the risk that we may be deemed to be an unregistered investment company, in which case we may be required to liquidate. As disclosed above, we may determine, in our discretion, to liquidate the securities held in the trust account at any time and instead hold all funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account or as cash or cash items at a bank, which could further reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company as compared to what they would have received had the investments not been so liquidated. Were we to liquidate the Company, our shareholders would lose the investment opportunity associated with an investment in the target company with which we could have consummated an initial business combination. In addition, upon moving the funds from the trust account to a deposit account, we will maintain the cash items in bank accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits as guaranteed by the FDIC. While we intend to place our deposits in high-quality banks, only a small portion of the funds in our trust account will be guaranteed by the FDIC.
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 25% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 25% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct repurchases in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our 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 Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than 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 25% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our Class A ordinary shares from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our Class A ordinary shares and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our Class A ordinary shares have been approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect that our Class A ordinary shares will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Although after giving effect to this offering we meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our Class A ordinary shares will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain an average global market capitalization and a minimum number of holders of our Class A ordinary shares (generally 400 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our shares on Nasdaq. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our Class A ordinary shares. 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 Class A ordinary shares from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our Class A ordinary shares on another national securities exchange, we expect our Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares;
• reduced liquidity for our Class A ordinary shares;
• a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our Class A ordinary shares;
• a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
• a decreased ability to issue additional shares 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 our Class A ordinary shares will be listed on Nasdaq, our Class A ordinary shares qualify as covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our Class A ordinary shares, 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. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our Class A ordinary shares would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our Class A ordinary shares, including in connection with our initial business combination.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.01 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our initial shareholders 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 99.4% (or $9.94 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.06 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per share. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 550,000,000 ordinary shares, including 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 489,700,000 and 47,500,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares (which Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an
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initial business combination) initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we may not issue securities that can vote with holders of our ordinary shares on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or on our initial business combination). We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.
These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with the approval of our shareholders. However, our 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 (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial 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.
The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of 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 Class A ordinary shares.
Unlike some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue certain shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination) in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as converted basis, 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding
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after such conversion, including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination; provided that such conversion of Class B ordinary shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
The founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
Our initial shareholders currently own 2,875,000 founder shares, which founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing 300,000 private placement shares to our sponsor.
To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of addition Class A ordinary shares, as well as the antidilution rights of our Class B ordinary shares, could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the initial business combination. Therefore, our founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because we are not issuing units which include warrants, or fractions thereof, or rights in this offering, our Class A ordinary shares may be worth less than units issued by other blank check companies.
We are only offering Class A ordinary shares in this offering. This is different from other initial public offerings of SPACs which offer units that may include warrants, or fractions thereof, to purchase additional shares, or rights convertible into shares. We have established our structure in order to reduce the dilutive effect of warrants or rights upon completion of an initial business combination, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this structure may cause your interest in us to be worth less than if this was an offering of units that included a Class A ordinary share and a warrant, or fraction thereof, to purchase additional shares or a right convertible into shares.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands.
As holders of our Class A ordinary shares prior to the consummation of a business combination, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands).
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement shares, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of up to $1,750,000 in working capital loans held, or to be held, by them. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of Class A ordinary shares for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the shares owned by our initial shareholders or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
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The determination of the offering price of our Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares properly reflects the value of such shares 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 and the price and terms of the Class A ordinary shares, 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;
• a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
• our capital structure;
• an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;
• general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
• other factors as were deemed relevant.
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our Class A ordinary shares and a market for our Class A ordinary shares may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our Class A ordinary shares.
There is currently no market for our Class A ordinary shares. 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 Class A ordinary shares may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of geopolitical events like the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and economic impacts such as inflation. Furthermore, an active trading market for our Class A ordinary shares may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your Class A ordinary shares unless a market can be established and sustained.
We may issue shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share, or at a price approximately equal to the per-share amount in our trust account and the amount to be funded per share pursuant to the Sponsor Note at such time or at such other price as agreed to with investors. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
Since only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors, upon the listing of our shares on Nasdaq, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq
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corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect to utilize exemptions from certain of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
• we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of Nasdaq;
• we select directors through either (i) a vote solely of independent directors, or (ii) a nominations committee comprised solely of independent directors; and
• we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
We intend to utilize certain of these exemptions. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our public shares suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our Class A ordinary shares. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our Class A ordinary shares.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forums for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law
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or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ memorandum and articles of association or other charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders”) of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the start-up exception, potentially not until after the two taxable years following our current taxable year). 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 Class A ordinary shares. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
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 (the “Treasury Department”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out, and prevent the abuse or avoidance of, the excise tax. In April 2024, the Treasury Department issued proposed regulations providing guidance with respect to the excise tax. Taxpayers may rely on these proposed regulations until final regulations are issued. Under the proposed regulations, liquidating distributions made by publicly traded domestic corporations are exempt from the excise tax. In addition, any redemptions that occur in the same taxable year as a liquidation are completed will also be exempt from tax.
As an entity incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company, the 1% excise tax is not expected to apply to redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (absent any further regulations and other additional guidance that may be issued in the future with retroactive effect).
However, in connection with an initial business combination involving a company organized under the laws of the United States, it is possible that we will domesticate and continue as a Delaware corporation prior to certain redemptions and, because our Class A ordinary shares are trading on Nasdaq, it is possible that we will be subject to the excise tax with respect to any subsequent redemptions, including redemptions in connection with the initial business combination, that are treated as repurchases for this purpose (other than, pursuant to the proposed regulations, redemptions in complete liquidation of the company). However, redemptions that occur in connection with a partial liquidation that does not constitute a complete liquidation of the company and redemptions that occur
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in connection with an extension of our charter or otherwise will generally not be subject to the excise tax so long as we remain a Cayman Islands exempted company that is not treated as a publicly traded domestic corporation, except possibly for any such redemptions that occur in connection with such initial business combination as described above, 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 the final 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 investors in our public shares who do not redeem or the other shareholders of the combined company to economically bear the impact of such excise tax.
General Risk Factors
We are a company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning an initial 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.
Past performance by Cantor, members of our management team, any of their respective affiliates and any Prior Cantor SPAC may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, Cantor, members of our management team, any of their respective affiliates and any Prior Cantor SPAC is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance, including related to acquisitions, of Cantor, members of our management team, any of their respective affiliates and any Prior Cantor SPAC is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a candidate for our initial business combination; (ii) that we will be able to successfully consummate the closing of any business combination into which we have entered or (iii) that the post-business combination performance of any such combined company will be positive. You should not rely on any positive historical performance records of Cantor, our management team, any of their respective affiliates or any Prior Cantor SPAC as indicative of our future performance or that an investment in the Company or the returns the Company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not an investment in Cantor, any affiliates of our management team, the Active Cantor SPAC or any Prior Cantor SPAC.
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.
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Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
Business combinations with financial services, commercial real estate services or financial technology businesses may involve special considerations and risks.
Business combinations with financial services, commercial real estate services or financial technology businesses entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
• businesses that we target in the financial services and real estate sectors, including their financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and prospects, may be affected, both positively and negatively, by conditions in the global economy and financial and commercial real estate markets generally;
• we could face strong competition from brokerage and financial services firms, as well as commercial real estate brokerage firms, many of which have greater market presence, marketing capabilities and technological, personnel and financial resources than we have, which could lead to pricing pressures that
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could adversely impact the revenues of any potential business we acquire, make it more difficult to find a target business and could materially adversely affect any business we acquire, including its cash flows, financial condition, results of operation and prospects;
• many aspects of businesses in the financial services sector are subject to extensive government regulation; if we acquire a business in this sector and fail to comply with these regulations, we may be subject to disciplinary or other action by regulatory organizations, and any business we acquire may be harmed;
• any business that we acquire, including its financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and prospects, could be materially adversely affected by new laws, rules or regulations or by changes in existing laws, rules or regulations or the application thereof;
• extensive regulation of financial services businesses restricts and limits operations and activities of such businesses and results in ongoing exposure to potential significant costs and penalties, including fines, sanctions, enhanced oversight, increased financial and capital requirements, and additional restrictions or limitations on the ability to conduct or grow such businesses;
• procedures and requirements of anti-money laundering laws including the USA PATRIOT Act may expose financial services firms to significant costs or penalties;
• if a commercial real estate firm fails to comply with laws, rules and regulations applicable to their commercial real estate activities, then such businesses may incur significant financial penalties;
• negative general economic conditions and commercial real estate market conditions could have a material adverse effect on the business of a firm we seek to acquire, including its financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and prospects;
• the financial services and commercial real estate services markets are generally affected by seasonality, which could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations of a business we acquire in a given period;
• actions taken by central banks in major global economies may have a material negative impact on financial services businesses;
• because competition for the services of brokers is intense, it could affect the ability of any business we acquire to attract and retain a sufficient number of highly skilled brokers or other professional services personnel, in turn adversely impacting the revenues of such business, resulting in a material adverse effect on such business, including its financial condition, results of operations and prospects;
• we may be subject to claims from both the firms to whom we provide our products and services and the clients they serve;
• if we are unable to keep pace with evolving technology and changes in the financial services industry, our revenues and future prospects may decline;
• our ability to provide financial technology products and services to customers may be reduced or eliminated by regulatory changes;
• difficulties with any products or services we provide could damage our reputation and business; and
• a failure to comply with privacy regulations could adversely affect relations with customers and have a negative impact on business.
However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to financial services, commercial real estate services or financial technology businesses. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.
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There are risks related to the healthcare industry to which we may be subject.
Business combinations with businesses operations in the healthcare industry entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
• Competition could reduce profit margins.
• Our inability to comply with governmental regulations affecting the healthcare industry could negatively affect our operations.
• An inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend.
• The success of our planned business following consummation of our initial business combination may depend on maintaining a well-secured business and technology infrastructure.
• If we are required to obtain governmental approval of our products, the production of our products could be delayed and we could be required to engage in a lengthy and expensive approval process that may not ultimately be successful.
• Continuing government and private efforts to contain healthcare costs, including through the implementation of legal and regulatory changes, may reduce our future revenue and our profitability following such business combination.
• Changes in the healthcare related wellness industry and markets for such products affecting our customers or retailing practices could negatively impact customer relationships and our results of operations.
• The healthcare industry is susceptible to significant liability exposure. If liability claims are brought against us following a business combination, it could materially adversely affect our operations.
• Dependence of our operations upon third-party suppliers, manufacturers or contractors whose failure to perform adequately could disrupt our business
• The Affordable Care Act, possible changes to it, and how it is implemented could negatively impact our business.
• A disruption in supply could adversely impact our business.
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the healthcare industry. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.
There are risks related to the software and technology industries to which we may be subject.
Business combinations with companies with operations in the software and technology industries entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with a target business with operations in the software and technology industries, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks, including but not limited to:
• if we do not develop successful new products or improve existing ones, our business will suffer;
• we may invest in new lines of business that could fail to attract or retain users or generate revenue;
• we will face significant competition and if we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, our business could suffer;
• disruption or failure of our networks, systems, platform or technology that frustrate or thwart our users’ ability to access our products and services, may cause our users, advertisers, and partners to cut back on or stop using our products and services altogether, which could seriously harm our business;
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• mobile malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, spamming, and improper or illegal use of our products could seriously harm our business and reputation;
• if we are unable to successfully grow our user base and further monetize our products, our business will suffer;
• if we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be seriously harmed;
• we may be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings in the future, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a way that could seriously harm our business; and
• components used in our products may fail as a result of a manufacturing, design, or other defect over which we have no control, and render our devices inoperable.
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the software and technology industries. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, this could make our Class A ordinary shares less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our Class A ordinary shares less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Class A ordinary shares less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares may be lower than it otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A ordinary shares and the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
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Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located, or with operations or opportunities, outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
If we pursue a target company located, or with operations or opportunities, outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
In addition, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
• costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;
• rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
• complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
• laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
• exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
• tariffs and trade barriers;
• regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
• local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
• unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
• challenges in managing and staffing international operations;
• 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;
• underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;
• corruption;
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• protection of intellectual property;
• social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
• regime changes and political upheaval;
• terrorist attacks and wars; and
• deterioration of political relations with the United States.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination may remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
We may transfer by way of continuation in another jurisdiction, which may result in taxes imposed on our shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise and, to the extent applicable, subject to requisite shareholder approval under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (with respect to which only holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote prior to our initial business combination), or by special resolution under the Companies Act, transfer by way of continuation to the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. 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 (or may otherwise result in adverse tax consequences). 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 our Class A ordinary shares after the reincorporation.
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We may transfer by way of continuation to another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may transfer by way of continuation from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue- generating activities to compliance activities.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
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We are offering 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares at an offering price of $10.00 per share. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement shares will be used as set forth in the following table.
Without | Over-Allotment | |||||||
Gross proceeds |
|
|
|
| ||||
Gross proceeds from Class A ordinary shares offered to public(1) | $ | 100,000,000 |
| $ | 115,000,000 |
| ||
Gross proceeds from private placement shares offered in the private |
| 3,000,000 |
|
| 3,000,000 |
| ||
Total gross proceeds | $ | 103,000,000 |
| $ | 118,000,000 |
| ||
Offering expenses(2) |
|
|
|
| ||||
Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from shares offered to | $ | 2,000,000 |
| $ | 2,000,000 |
| ||
Payment to qualified independent underwriter |
| 100,000 |
|
| 100,000 |
| ||
Legal fees and expenses |
| 250,000 |
|
| 250,000 |
| ||
Accounting fees and expenses |
| 37,500 |
|
| 37,500 |
| ||
SEC/FINRA Expenses |
| 103,724 |
|
| 103,724 |
| ||
Travel and road show |
| 25,000 |
|
| 25,000 |
| ||
Nasdaq listing and filing fees |
| 75,000 |
|
| 75,000 |
| ||
Printing expenses |
| 40,000 |
|
| 40,000 |
| ||
Miscellaneous |
| 118,776 |
|
| 118,776 |
| ||
Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions) | $ | 750,000 |
| $ | 750,000 |
| ||
Proceeds after offering expenses | $ | 100,250,000 |
| $ | 115,250,000 |
| ||
Held in trust account(3) | $ | 100,000,000 |
| $ | 115,000,000 |
| ||
% of public offering size |
| 100 | % |
| 100 | % | ||
Not held in trust account | $ | 250,000 |
| $ | 250,000 |
|
The following table shows the use of the approximately $250,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account, as well as up to $1,750,000 in working capital loans committed by our sponsor.(4)(5)
Amount | % of Total | |||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination | $ | 450,000 | 22.5 | % | ||
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations |
| 150,000 | 7.5 | % | ||
Director and Officer liability insurance premiums |
| 440,000 | 22.0 | % | ||
Payment for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services ($10,000 per month for up to 24 months) |
| 240,000 | 12.0 | % | ||
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses(6) |
| 720,000 | 36.0 | % | ||
Total | $ | 2,000,000 | 100.0 | % |
____________
(1) Includes gross proceeds from this offering of $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as well as amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.
(2) A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of June 30, 2024, we had borrowed $272,638 (of up to $300,000 available to us) under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These amounts will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). In the event that offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, they will be repaid using a portion of the $250,000 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account and set aside for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses.
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(3) Upon completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs, to pay the Marketing Fee of $3,500,000 (or $4,325,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) 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.
(4) These expenses are estimates only and do not include interest which may be available to us from the trust account. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an initial business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses.
(5) Does not include up to $1,500,000 the sponsor has agreed to loan to us pursuant to the sponsor note.
(6) Includes amounts that will be used to pay the fees of our independent directors.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be placed in a trust account in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will be invested only in permitted investments and/or held as cash or cash items (including in demand deposit accounts) at a bank. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement shares will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) 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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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 or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-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, including pursuant to any forward purchase agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering.
We believe that amounts not held in trust, together with the loan committed by our sponsor for working capital, 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 due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective business combination, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of an initial business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking due diligence and negotiating an initial 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.
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Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 30, 2024, we had borrowed $272,638 under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2025 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions).
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed $1,750,000 to be provided to us on a non-interest bearing basis to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us additional 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. Such loans will also be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering. 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. Other than as set forth above, the terms of such additional loans by our sponsor, its affiliates and our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor note.
We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct repurchases in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. See “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our shares” for a description of how our initial shareholders, directors, officers or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase Class A ordinary shares in any private transaction.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to reduce the number of shares being submitted for redemption 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. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our shares” for more information on potential consequences of such repurchases, if any.
We may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions and 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 initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, (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 (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, subject to applicable law and as further described herein and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination. 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 any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares or private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors 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.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to vote on the extension and to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes paid and payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law.
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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 an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. 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 Class A ordinary share and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
As of June 30, 2024, our net tangible book deficit was $373,058, or approximately $(0.13) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares we are offering by this prospectus (or 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement shares and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at June 30, 2024 would have been $166,300, or approximately $0.06 per share (or $250,000 and approximately $0.08 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value, as decreased by the value of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash (or 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $0.19 per share (or $0.21 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our initial shareholders as of the date of this prospectus. Total dilution to public shareholders from this offering will be $9.94 per share (or $9.92 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis:
Without | With | |||||||||||||
Public offering price |
| $ | 10.00 |
|
| $ | 10.00 |
| ||||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | (0.13 | ) |
|
| (0.13 | ) |
|
| ||||||
Increase attributable to public shareholders | 0.19 |
|
|
| 0.21 |
|
|
| ||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value after this |
|
| 0.06 |
|
|
| 0.08 |
| ||||||
Dilution to public shareholders |
| $ | 9.94 |
|
| $ | 9.92 |
| ||||||
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders |
|
| 99.4 | % |
|
| 99.2 | % |
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 $100,000,000 because holders of up to approximately 100% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or shareholders meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes), divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering.
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial shareholders and the public shareholders:
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price | ||||||||||||
Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | |||||||||||
Initial Shareholders(1) | 2,500,000 | 19.5 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.0 | % | $ | 0.01 | |||||
Private Placement Shareholders | 300,000 | 2.3 | % |
| 3,000,000 | 2.9 | % | $ | 10.00 | |||||
Public Shareholders | 10,000,000 | 78.2 | % |
| 100,000,000 | 97.1 | % | $ | 10.00 | |||||
12,800,000 | 100.0 | % | $ | 103,025,000 | 100.0 | % |
|
____________
(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 375,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor.
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The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
Without | With | |||||||
Numerator: |
|
|
|
| ||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | $ | (373,058 | ) | $ | (373,058 | ) | ||
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement shares(1) |
| 100,250,000 |
|
| 115,250,000 |
| ||
Plus: Offering costs accrued for or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value |
| 373,058 |
|
| 373,058 |
| ||
Less: Over-allotment liability |
| (83,700 | ) |
| — |
| ||
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to possible redemption(2) |
| (100,000,000 | ) |
| (115,000,000 | ) | ||
$ | 166,300 |
| $ | 250,000 |
| |||
Denominator: |
|
|
|
| ||||
Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to this offering |
| 2,875,000 |
|
| 2,875,000 |
| ||
Class B ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised |
| (375,000 | ) |
| — |
| ||
Class A ordinary shares offered in this offering |
| 10,000,000 |
|
| 11,500,000 |
| ||
Class A ordinary shares offered in the private placement |
| 300,000 |
|
| 300,000 |
| ||
Less: Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption |
| (10,000,000 | ) |
| (11,500,000 | ) | ||
| 2,800,000 |
|
| 3,175,000 |
|
____________
(1) Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $750,000 and underwriting commissions of $2,000,000. See “Use of Proceeds.”
(2) If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct repurchases in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Permitted Purchases of Our Shares.”
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The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2024, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our Class A ordinary shares in this offering and the sale of the private placement shares and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such shares, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of its over-allotment option:
June 30, 2024 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
Note payable to related party | $ | 272,638 |
| $ | — |
| ||
Over-allotment liability |
| — |
|
| 83,700 |
| ||
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption; -0- and 10,000,000 shares, actual and as adjusted, respectively(1) |
| — |
|
| 101,500,000 |
| ||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted |
| — |
|
| — |
| ||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; -0- and 300,000 shares issued and outstanding (excluding -0- and 10,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively |
| — |
|
| 30 |
| ||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 2,875,000 and 2,500,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(2) |
| 288 |
|
| 288 |
| ||
Additional paid-in capital |
| 24,712 |
|
| — |
| ||
Accumulated deficit |
| (355,386 | ) |
| (1,334,018 | ) | ||
Total shareholders’ deficit | $ | (330,386 | ) | $ | (1,333,700 | ) | ||
Total capitalization | $ | (57,748 | ) | $ | 100,250,000 |
|
____________
(1) Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes. Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account.
(2) 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.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to any 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, or a combination of the foregoing.
The issuance of additional shares in connection with an initial business combination to the owners of the target or other investors:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of our 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 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 Class A ordinary shares.
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:
• default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
• acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
• our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is issued and outstanding;
• our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares;
• using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;
• limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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• increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
• limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
• other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of June 30, 2024 we had $0 and $42,672 in cash and deferred offering costs, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we had $0 in both cash and deferred offering costs. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on the investments 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 expenses as we conduct due diligence on prospective business combination candidates. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through a capital contribution from our sponsor of $25,000 for the founder shares and up to $300,000 in loans available from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the Class A ordinary shares in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $750,000, underwriting commissions of $2,000,000 and (ii) the sale of the private placement shares for a purchase price of $3,000,000 will be $100,250,000 (or $115,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in permitted investments or held as cash or in demand deposit accounts at a bank. The holding of the assets in the trust account in any permitted investments is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk may increase the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. The remaining approximately $250,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000, 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 $750,000, 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 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. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt securities are used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
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Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $250,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, together with the $1,750,000 loan committed by our sponsor for working capital. We will use these funds 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, and structure, negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed $1,750,000 to be provided to us on a non-interest bearing basis to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us additional 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. Such loans will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering. 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. Other than as set forth above, the terms of such additional loans by our sponsor, its affiliates and 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 $450,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $150,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $440,000 for director and officer liability insurance premiums; $240,000 for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services; and approximately $720,000 for working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves (including paying the fees of our independent directors).
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial 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.
Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor note.
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 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, which may include a specified future issuance. In addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with
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the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 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 has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, 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 expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares held in the trust account may only be invested in permitted investments or held as cash or in demand deposit accounts at a bank. The holding of the assets in the trust account in any permitted investments is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk may increase the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related
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to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related Party Transactions
In November 2020, our sponsor purchased 14,375,000 founder shares for a purchase price of $25,000. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, our sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which we cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares (up to 375,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares upon completion of this offering (not including the private placement shares). The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued.
Commencing on the date that our Class A ordinary shares are first listed on the Nasdaq through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
We will pay cash fees to our independent directors of $50,000 per year, payable quarterly.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2025 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions).
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed $1,750,000 to be provided to us on a non-interest bearing basis to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us additional 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. Such loans will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering. 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. Other than as set forth above, the terms of such additional loans by our sponsor, its affiliates and 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 also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor note.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase 300,000 private placement shares at a price of $10.00 per share ($3,000,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
The private placement shares will be identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering except that (i) the private placement shares are subject to lock-up as described herein and (ii) holders of such shares will be entitled to certain registration rights. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private placement shares held by it to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to it, but the transferees receiving such shares will be subject to the same agreements as our sponsor with respect to such shares.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial shareholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders 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, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights on registration statements filed after the consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, our sponsor may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights solely with respect to the private placement shares after five (5) and seven (7) years, respectively, after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may not exercise its demand rights with respect to the private placement shares on more than one occasion.
We will pay the underwriters an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $0.20 per share) in underwriting discounts and commissions in connection with this offering. No commissions will be paid on any Class A ordinary shares sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option. We will also pay $100,000 to Odeon for acting as the “qualified independent underwriter” in this offering.
We have engaged CF&Co. as an advisor in connection with our business combination, pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” We will pay CF&Co. a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the base offering and 5.5% of the gross proceeds from the full or partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. As a result, CF&Co. will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations
As of June 30, 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 any commitments or contractual obligations.
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.
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Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the report of independent registered public accounting firm providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated on November 11, 2020 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting an initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company.
Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we expect to focus on a target in an industry where we believe our management team’s and our affiliates’ expertise will provide us with a competitive advantage, including the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries. Further, our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any characteristics, although we expect to favor potential target companies with certain characteristics which include, but are not limited to, positive long term growth prospects, competitive advantages, consolidation opportunities, recurring revenue or the potential for recurring revenue, opportunities for operational improvement and attractive margins or the potential for attractive margins.
Our officers consist of:
• Howard W. Lutnick, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, who joined Cantor in 1983 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor since 1992 and as Chairman since 1996; and
• Jane Novak, our Chief Financial Officer, who joined Cantor in October 2017 and, since then, has served as the Global Head of Accounting Policy.
We, our sponsor, and CF&Co. are all affiliates of Cantor. Cantor is a diversified company primarily specializing in financial and real estate services for customers operating in the global financial and commercial real estate markets. Cantor’s businesses include CF&Co., a leading independent middle market investment bank and primary dealer; a controlling interest in BGC, whose Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “BGC”, a leading global brokerage and technology company primarily servicing the global financial markets; and a controlling interest in Newmark, whose Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “NMRK”, a leading full-service commercial real estate services business. We believe that the combination of our officers’ and our affiliates’ financial services, financial and real estate technology, and real estate industry expertise and proven ability to grow businesses through acquisitions make us uniquely qualified to pursue acquisitions.
Cantor was founded over 75 years ago, and has been led by Mr. Lutnick since 1992. Cantor has successfully built a well-capitalized business across multiple business lines. Cantor has been at the forefront of financial and technological innovation in its industries, developing electronic markets, and providing superior service to thousands of customers globally.
Mr. Lutnick has led Cantor’s expansion from a broker of fixed income and equity products to a premier global financial services provider, which is recognized for its leading offerings across several areas including:
• institutional equity and fixed income capital markets services;
• investment banking;
• prime brokerage;
• fully electronic execution of various financial asset classes;
• market data;
• financial software and analytics;
• wholesale financial brokerage;
• energy and commodities brokerage;
• software and network services; and
• commercial real estate services, asset management, loan servicing and financing operations.
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Mr. Lutnick, in his position as an officer of Cantor and its affiliates, has a history of making successful acquisitions. Since 2005, Cantor has acquired over 75 companies in the financial and real estate services industries. In financial services, these acquisitions have included, among others, the publicly traded wholesale and inter-dealer brokerage firm GFI, Sunrise Brokers Group, a global leader in listed and OTC derivative products brokerage, and Ed Broking, an independent Lloyd’s of London insurance broker (which BGC subsequently sold in November 2021). In real estate services, these acquisitions have included, among others, Newmark & Company Real Estate, Inc., Berkeley Point Financial LLC, which is one of the nation’s leading providers of multifamily capital solutions, engaged primarily in the origination, funding, sale and servicing of multifamily loans guaranteed by Government Sponsored Enterprises, Grubb & Ellis, ARA, and Cornish & Carey. Most of Newmark’s subsidiaries, including, ARA, Berkeley Point, and Cornish & Carey now operate under the name “Newmark” or “NKF”.
Mr. Lutnick has also led Cantor’s successful exit from many of its acquisitions and investments. For example, in 1996, Cantor launched eSpeed, its fully electronic treasuries trading platform. Cantor developed and launched eSpeed, which completed an initial public offering in 1996, and into which a predecessor of BGC was merged in 2008. In June 2013, BGC sold the eSpeed business to Nasdaq, Inc. for $750 million in cash and up to $484 million earn-out shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (based on the stock price of Nasdaq, Inc. at the time the deal was announced). Following BGC’s acquisition of GFI in 2015, BGC, whose Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is Mr. Lutnick, sold GFI’s Trayport business, a leading intermediary and provider of trading technologies and support services to the global OTC and listed markets, to ICE for $650 million in exchange for 2,527,658 ICE common shares issued with respect to the $650 million purchase price as adjusted at closing. In addition, on November 1, 2021, BGC successfully completed the sale of its insurance brokerage business (including Ed Broking and Besso) pursuant to which BGC received gross cash proceeds of approximately $535 million from the buyer. The investment in BGC’s insurance brokerage business generated an internal rate of return of 21.2% for BGC’s shareholders.
Over Cantor’s and its affiliates’ history, its employees have developed long-term relationships with a wide range of U.S. and foreign private and public organizations of all sizes. As a result, we believe that our management team is well positioned to identify and execute business combination opportunities. We will seek to capitalize on the substantial resources and the global infrastructure of Cantor and we believe the relationships of Cantor and our officers will provide us with exposure to a broad selection of potential acquisition targets. However, there is no formal agreement between us and Cantor with respect to the provision of any services to us by Cantor or its employees. Consequently, while we expect Cantor and its employees to provide us services so that we can capitalize on the substantial resources of Cantor and leverage Cantor’s relationships, there is no guarantee that Cantor or its employees will provide any services to us or that we will be able to do so.
Entities controlled by Cantor have also sponsored eight additional SPACs: Cantor SPAC I, Cantor SPAC II, Cantor SPAC III, Cantor SPAC IV, Cantor SPAC V, Cantor SPAC VI, Cantor SPAC VII and Cantor SPAC VIII.
Cantor SPAC I consummated its initial public offering in December 2018 and consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 with GCM Grosvenor, a global alternative asset management firm, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $10.76. Cantor SPAC II consummated its initial public offering in August 2020 and consummated its initial business combination in March 2021 with View, a smart buildings platform and technology company, that was taken private by its creditors in connection with a Chapter 11 financial restructuring in May 2024. Cantor SPAC III consummated its initial public offering in November 2020 and consummated its initial business combination in August 2021 with AEye, a provider of active lidar systems technology for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver-assistance systems, and robotic vision applications, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $1.84 (after giving effect to a 30 to 1 reverse stock split in December 2023). Cantor SPAC V consummated its initial public offering in February 2021 and consummated its initial business combination in January 2022 with Satellogic, a vertically integrated geospatial analytics company, whose share price as of July 16, 2024 was $1.165. Cantor SPAC VI consummated its initial public offering in February 2021 and consummated its initial business combination in September 2022 with Rumble, a neutral video platform, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $7.11. Cantor SPAC VIII consummated its initial public offering in March 2021 and consummated its initial business combination in November 2023 with XBP Europe, a pan-European integrator of bills and payments, whose stock price as of July 16, 2024 was $1.60. Cantor SPAC IV consummated its initial public offering in December 2020 and was liquidated in December 2023. Cantor SPAC VII consummated its initial public offering in December 2021, has not entered into a business combination agreement and is focused on searching for businesses in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing descriptions, past performance of Cantor, our management team, any of their respective affiliates and any Prior Cantor SPAC is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a candidate for our initial business combination; (ii) that we will be able to successfully consummate the closing of any business combination into which we have entered or (iii) that the post-business combination performance of any such combined company will be positive. You should not rely on any positive historical performance records of Cantor, our management team, any of their respective affiliates or any Prior Cantor SPAC as indicative of our future performance. Our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities, including the Active Cantor SPAC. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers or directors and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”.
Business Strategy
Our acquisition strategy is to identify and acquire a company in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our management team. Our acquisition selection process will leverage the network of contacts developed by our management team and those of our sponsor and its affiliates that we believe should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. Upon completion of this offering, our management team will begin the process of locating, identifying, pursuing and reviewing potential target companies and promising leads.
Our management team and Cantor and its affiliates have experience in:
• sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;
• fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams;
• negotiating transactions;
• executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions;
• accessing the capital markets;
• operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, monitoring and recruiting talent;
• acquiring and integrating companies; and
• developing and growing companies, both organically and through acquisitions and strategic transactions and expanding the product range and geographic footprint of their businesses.
Investment Criteria
While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to focus on industries that complement our management team’s background, and to capitalize on the ability of our officers and directors to identify and acquire a business or businesses consistent with the experience of our management team and affiliates of our sponsor. We therefore intend to focus on potential target companies primarily in the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries.
Further, our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any characteristics, although we expect to favor potential target companies with certain characteristics which include, but are not limited to, positive long term growth prospects, competitive advantages, consolidation opportunities, recurring revenue or the potential for recurring revenue, opportunities for operational improvement and attractive margins or the potential for attractive margins.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. A potential target company may not have all or any of the characteristics described above. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria, we will disclose that the target business
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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 materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Initial Business Combination
So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with the Active Cantor SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Cantor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination.
An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance. Pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of our Class B ordinary shares, any such specified future issuance would result in an adjustment to the conversion ratio such that the founder shares would continue to represent 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including the private placement shares) plus all shares issued in the specified future issuance, unless the holders of a majority of the then-issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agreed to waive such adjustment with respect to the specified future issuance at the time thereof. We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares at the time of any such specified future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A shareholders on structuring an initial business combination; (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares; or (iv) as part of the Affiliated Joint Acquisition. If such adjustment is not waived, the specified future issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B ordinary shares, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. If such adjustment is waived, the specified future issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our ordinary shares. The issuance of any securities in connection with a financing provided by an affiliate of ours relating to an Affiliated Joint Acquisition will not result in such an adjustment to the conversion ratio of our Class B ordinary shares.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way 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, or (ii) in such a way so 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, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described above. However, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest
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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 the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we would be required to comply with such 80% rule.
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 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. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to any forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Our Business Combination Process
In evaluating prospective business combinations, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, a review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with management and their advisors (if applicable), on-site inspection of facilities and assets to the extent possible, document reviews, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us and which we deem appropriate. We will also utilize our expertise and our sponsor’s expertise in analyzing companies and evaluating operating projections, financial projections and determining the appropriate return expectations.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with Cantor or its affiliates or our sponsor, officers or directors, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with Cantor or its affiliates or 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 firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
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Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account.
Cantor will be the beneficial owner of founder shares and private placement shares following this offering by virtue of its ownership of our sponsor, and members of our management team may indirectly own such securities. Because of such ownership and interests, Cantor, and any of our officers and directors who have an ownership interest in or are employed by Cantor, 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 paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our sponsor could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for our public shareholders.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, the founder shares and private placement shares may be worthless, except to the extent the holders thereof receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor and our executive officers and directors who have an ownership interest in or are employed by Cantor to complete a transaction, even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for our 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 were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
All of our officers are employed by Cantor or its affiliates. Cantor is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Cantor will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Cantor may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Cantor may decide to share with us. We have not, however, selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, Cantor and their affiliates may sponsor, form or participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, invest or otherwise become affiliated with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, or may pursue other business or investment ventures, even prior to us entering into a definitive agreement for our initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of the Active Cantor SPAC, which is focused on searching for businesses in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. The Active Cantor SPAC may compete with us for business combination opportunities. If the Active Cantor SPAC decides to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunity.
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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties
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under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
Our Management Team
Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any member of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
We believe our management team’s operating and transaction experience and relationships with companies will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Management” for a more complete description of our management team’s experience.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As a public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. Following an initial business combination, we believe the target business would have greater access to capital and additional means of creating management incentives that are better aligned with shareholders’ interests than it would as a private company. A target business can further benefit by augmenting its profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares in the target business for our Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers.
Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, marketing and road show efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with an initial business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed initial business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Following an initial business combination, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as ability to seek shareholder approval of any proposed initial business combination and our obligation to provide our shareholders a redemption right, negatively.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption
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undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm 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 Class A ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A ordinary shares and the prices of our Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
In addition, after completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect to utilize exemptions from certain of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements. We intend to utilize one or more these exemptions including that we will not select director nominees through either (i) a vote solely of independent directors, or (ii) a nominations committee comprised solely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
Financial Position
With funds available for an initial business combination initially in the amount of up to $96,500,000, after payment of the Marketing Fee of $3,500,000 (or up to $110,675,000 after payment of the Marketing Fee of up to $4,325,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination and redemptions by our public shareholders, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a
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combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement shares, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to any 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, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
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 (which may include a specified future issuance), 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 addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial 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, including pursuant to any specified future issuance, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, other than in respect of the sponsor note, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various affiliated and unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and investment professionals. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us by calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as our sponsor and its affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions.
Additionally, we have not engaged in discussions with any of the prospective target businesses that the Active Cantor SPAC or any of the Prior Cantor SPACs had considered. However, we may engage in such discussions with such targets subsequent to the pricing of this offering. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the
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extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which our sponsor or officers are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation by the company prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than as described herein. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an initial business combination candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with Cantor or its affiliates or our sponsor, officers or directors, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” 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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with the Active Cantor SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and our sponsor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of
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our initial business combination 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, a valuation based on trading multiples of comparable public businesses or a valuation based on the financial metrics of M&A transactions of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the issued and 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 taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value 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 business target, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us.
We may engage CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and/or placement agent for any securities offering to occur concurrently with our initial business combination and pay such affiliate a customary financial advisory and/or placement agent fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory or placement agent fee for comparable transactions. Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor, and such target company may pay such affiliate a financial advisory fee in connection with our initial business combination.
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. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. 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.
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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’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. However, we currently do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company following an initial business combination.
Following an initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
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 unless shareholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether shareholder approval is currently required under Cayman Islands law for each such transaction.
Type of Transaction | Whether | |
Purchase of assets | No | |
Purchase of stock, shares or other equity interests of target not involving a merger with the company | No | |
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company | No | |
Merger of the company with a target | Yes |
So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• we issue Class A ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our Class A 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.
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Permitted Purchases of our Shares
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct repurchases in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, directors, officers or any their respective affiliates may purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment 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. 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares or not to elect to have their public shares redeemed. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates determine to make any such purchases prior to the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of allowing us to complete such business combination where it would not otherwise be able to be accomplished. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed in accordance with applicable law 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. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. 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.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to reduce the number of shares being submitted for redemption 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. Any such purchases of our shares may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our shares may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our shares on Nasdaq.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective 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 any of their respective affiliates enter into private purchase agreements, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have elected to have their shares redeemed for a pro rata share of the trust account or those who have voted against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination. Such persons would select the shareholders from whom they intend 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 any such purchase agreement. Any such purchases shall be effected at a price per share no higher than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to have its shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates will purchase shares only if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
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Additionally, in the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers 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 to the extent such Rule is applicable 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
• if our initial shareholders, directors, officers or 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 initial business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our shares purchased by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
• our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would either not possess any redemption rights with respect to our shares or they would waive such rights; and
• we would disclose in a Form 8-K filed prior to our shareholders meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following items, to the extent material:
• the amount of our shares purchased outside of the redemption offer by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates, along with the average purchase price;
• the purpose of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates;
• the impact, if any, of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved at the shareholders meeting;
• the identities of our shareholders who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our shareholders (e.g., 5% shareholders) who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates; and
• the number of our shares for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer as of a date shortly prior to the filing date of the Form 8-K.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The redemption price is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.15 per public share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event). Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our
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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. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and stock or share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure an initial business combination with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed initial business combination.
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by applicable 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 Class A ordinary shares on 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 under 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 under 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 Class A ordinary shares in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or on 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 applicable 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 under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and
• file proxy materials with the SEC.
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving
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the business combination transaction). A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares (whether in person or by proxy). Our initial shareholders will count toward this quorum and pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 3,600,001, or 36.0%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted at the meeting) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming in each case the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company. We intend to give prior written notice of any such meeting as is required by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, or if they vote at all.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial 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 initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
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 repurchases in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our 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 Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to the Excess Shares. Such restriction shall also be applicable to our affiliates. 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 initial business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 25% 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 management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 25% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial 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.
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Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with Redemption Rights
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the 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. The proxy materials 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 up to two business days prior to the vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. 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 $100.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the initial 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 initial business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the general meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the initial 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 initial business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn with our consent at any time up to the date of the general meeting set forth in our proxy materials. 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 initial business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete an initial business combination with a different target until 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate a business combination or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such time period and we do not seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum
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and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, 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 liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares or private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period.
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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes divided by the number of then issued and outstanding 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 approximately $250,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, together with the $1,750,000 loan committed by our sponsor for working capital, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any tax obligations we may owe. If those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, we may not request the trustee to release to us any amount of 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 shares, 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 $10.15 (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event). 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 $10.15. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses 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
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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. WithumSmith+Brown, PC, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm and underwriters of this offering) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the redemption amount to below the lesser of (i) the sum of (A) $10.00 per public share and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the funding of the Sponsor Note in connection with a Redemption Event and (ii) the sum of (A) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less interest released to pay taxes, and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the Sponsor Note, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.15 per public share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $250,000 from the proceeds of this offering, plus $1,750,000 in loans committed by our sponsor for working capital, with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000, 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 $750,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties
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with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.15 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only 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 any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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 initial 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 as described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve.
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Redemptions in | Other Permitted | Redemptions if we | ||||
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 $10.15 per public share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event)), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed initial business combination. | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. |
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Redemptions in | Other Permitted | Redemptions if we | ||||
Impact to remaining shareholders | The repurchases 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 Marketing Fee and taxes payable. | If the permitted purchases described above are made there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders 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 | $100,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares will be deposited into a trust account in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | Approximately $89,910,000 of the offering proceeds would be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
Investment of net proceeds | $100,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement shares may only be invested in permitted investments or held as cash or in demand deposit accounts at a bank. The holding of the assets in the trust account in any permitted investments is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk may increase the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | ||
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by any taxes paid or payable. | 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. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the 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 shares issued | We expect our Class A ordinary shares will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. | No trading of our Class A ordinary shares would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the Class A ordinary shares would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||
Election to remain an investor | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, 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. We intend to give prior written notice of any such meeting as is required by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. 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. 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 | 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 it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
tender offer period. 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. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or if they vote at all. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares (whether in person or by proxy). | ||||
Business combination deadline | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering and we do not seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, 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 liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | If a business combination has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 25% 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 repurchases in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that a public shareholder (including our affiliates), together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 25% 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 any Excess Shares in open market transactions. | Many 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 to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the 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 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 business days prior to the vote on the initial 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 initial 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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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
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 tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement shares held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in | 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. | ||
connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described 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 100% of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time frame (subject to the requirements of applicable law). Upon the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us, less amounts released to a separate account controlled by the trustee for disbursal to redeeming shareholders. We will use these funds 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,” 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, including the Marketing Fee pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic business combinations, including affiliates of our sponsor. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to
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pay cash to our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at 110 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022, and our telephone number is (212) 938-5000. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee we will pay to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We have registered our Class A ordinary shares under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential targets we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividends or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 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 business combination. We have filed a Registration
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Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our Class A ordinary shares under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
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 Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals 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 Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.
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Officers and Directors
Our officers and directors are as follows:
Name | Age | Title | ||
Howard W. Lutnick | 63 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Jane Novak | 59 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Danny H. Salinas | 43 | Director | ||
Carl A. Grimstad | 56 | Director | ||
Charlotte Blechman | 54 | Director |
Howard W. Lutnick has been our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since November 2020. Mr. Lutnick is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor. Mr. Lutnick joined Cantor in 1983 and has served as Chief Executive Officer of Cantor since 1992 and as Chairman since 1996. Mr. Lutnick’s company, CF Group Management, Inc. (“CFGM”), is the managing general partner of Cantor. Mr. Lutnick is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of BGC Group, Inc. and its Chief Executive Officer, positions in which he has served (including of its predecessor) from June 1999 to the present. In addition, Mr. Lutnick has served as Chairman of Newmark Group, Inc. since 2016. Mr. Lutnick served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC I from October 2015 until consummation of its business combination with GCM Grosvenor in November 2020, as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC II from September 2019 until consummation of its business combination with View in March 2021, as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC III from March 2016 until consummation of its business combination with AEye in August 2021, as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC V from April 2020 until consummation of its business combination with Satellogic in January 2022, as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC VI from April 2020 until consummation of its business combination with Rumble in September 2022, as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC VIII from July 2020 until consummation of its business combination with XBP Europe in November 2023, and as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC IV from January 2020 to December 2023 when it liquidated. Mr. Lutnick has also served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor SPAC VII since July 2020. Mr. Lutnick has also served as a director of Satellogic since January 2022. Mr. Lutnick is a member of the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Board of Directors of the Partnership for New York City, the Board of Directors of the Horace Mann School, and the Board of Overseers of The Hoover Institution. In addition, Mr. Lutnick has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald Income Trust, Inc. (formerly known as Rodin Global Property Trust, Inc.) since February 2017. We believe that Mr. Lutnick is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive investment, management and public company experience.
Jane Novak has been our Chief Financial Officer since November 2021. Ms. Novak joined Cantor in October 2017 and, since then, has served as the Global Head of Accounting Policy. In this role, Ms. Novak provides guidance to Cantor and its affiliates on complex accounting matters, including, among other things, compliance with GAAP, IFRS, and SEC pronouncements, establishing formal accounting policies, reviewing SEC filings, leading new accounting standards implementation and monitoring standard-setting activities. Ms. Novak served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cantor SPAC III from July 2021 until consummation of its initial business combination with AEye in August 2021, as Chief Financial Officer of Cantor SPAC V from July 2021 until consummation of its business combination with Satellogic in January 2022, as Chief Financial Officer of Cantor SPAC VI from July 2021 until consummation of its business combination with Rumble in September 2022, as the Chief Financial Officer of Cantor SPAC VIII from July 2021 until consummation of its business combination with XBP Europe in November 2023, and as the Chief Financial Officer of Cantor SPAC IV from July 2021 to December 2023 when it liquidated. Ms. Novak has also served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cantor SPAC VII since November 2021. Prior to joining Cantor, Ms. Novak worked for a number of financial services institutions holding accounting policy, financial reporting and SEC reporting positions of progressive responsibility. Ms. Novak began her career in the audit practice at Deloitte’s New York office, serving financial services clients. Ms. Novak graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn College, CUNY, with a B.S. in Accounting. Ms. Novak holds an active CPA license from the State of New York and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Danny H. Salinas has served as a member of our board of directors since commencement of trading of our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq. Mr. Salinas joined Cantor in September 2023 and has served as Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer. As Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Salinas is responsible for Cantor’s
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financial operations, including accounting, finance, regulatory reporting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, as well as taxation, risk management, and investor relations. Mr. Salinas is a seasoned veteran with over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Cantor, he held various executive positions for over a decade at TD Bank Group. Mr. Salinas served as Chief Financial Officer in TD Securities from April 2018 to September 2023. Mr. Salinas served as Head of US Tax Planning from March 2013 to March 2018. Mr. Salinas also practiced as a tax attorney at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, from September 2008 to March 2013, where he advised on strategic corporate transactions. He began his career at Deloitte & Touche, where he received his CPA license. Mr. Salinas holds FINRA Series 27 and 79 licenses. Mr. Salinas holds a J.D. from Georgetown University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a B.S. in accounting from Rutgers University. We believe that Mr. Salinas is qualified to serve as a member of our board due to his extensive experience in business management.
Carl A. Grimstad has served as a member of our board of directors since commencement of trading of our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq. Mr. Grimstad is currently the Chief Manager of C. Grimstad Associates, LLC, a family private investment entity formed in 2006, and the managing partner of GS Capital, LLC, a family private investment company formed in 1995. From January 2020 until April 2024, Mr. Grimstad was the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Waitr Holdings Inc., an online ordering technology platform that provided delivery, carryout and dine-in options, connecting restaurants, merchants, drivers and diners in certain cities in the United States, which filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States bankruptcy code in April 2024. In 1999, Mr. Grimstad co-founded iPayment Inc. (“iPayment”), a provider of credit and debit card payment processing services to small and medium-sized merchants across the United States and Canada. Mr. Grimstad acted as the President of iPayment until 2011, when he became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until 2016. Under his leadership, iPayment closed an initial public offering in 2003 and then went private in 2006. Mr. Grimstad graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Boston University in 1989. We believe that Mr. Grimstad is qualified to serve as a member of our board due to his extensive business management and public company experience.
Charlotte S. Blechman has served as a member of our board of directors since commencement of trading of our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq. Ms. Blechman has extensive executive and management experience in marketing, public relations, visual merchandising, branding, digital and social marketing, advertising and communications. Ms. Blechman previously served as Chief Marketing Officer of Tom Ford Retail LLC from January 2017 to June 2023 where she oversaw various departments. She was responsible for all global marketing, communications, advertising, public relations, visual display, customer relationship management, digital marketing, events, and global marketing initiatives. Ms. Blechman served as a director of Cantor SPAC II from November 2020 until consummation of its business combination with View in March 2021, a director of Cantor SPAC VIII from March 2021 until consummation of its business combination with XBP Europe in November 2023, and as a director of Cantor SPAC IV from December 2020 to December 2023 when it liquidated. From 2011 to 2017, Ms. Blechman served as Executive Vice-President of Marketing and Communication at Barneys New York. Prior to that, Ms. Blechman served as Gucci America’s Vice President of Public Relations and Special Events, also overseeing Worldwide Celebrity Relations. She also served as Vice President of Public Relations for Yves Saint Laurent. We believe that Ms. Blechman is qualified to serve as a member of our board due to her extensive experience in business management.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
We have four directors. Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on such matters during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to these rights of holders of Class B ordinary shares may be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. Approval of our initial business combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors. Our board of directors will be divided into two classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting of shareholders) serving a two-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Mr. Grimstad and Ms. Blechman, will expire at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Mr. Lutnick and
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Mr. Salinas, will expire at the second annual general meeting. We may not hold an annual general meeting until after we consummate our initial business combination. Subject to the terms of any preference shares, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote generally in the appointment of directors, voting together as a single class; provided, however, that prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, any or all of the directors may be removed from office, for cause or not for cause, only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, including holders of preference shares, whenever any director shall have been elected by the holders of any class of shares voting separately as a class, such director may be removed and the vacancy filled only by the holders of that class of shares voting separately as a class. Vacancies caused by any such removal and not filled by the shareholders at the meeting at which such removal shall have been made, or any vacancy caused by the death or resignation of any director or for any other reason, and any newly created directorship resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors, may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, and in any case, prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, by a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares, and any director so elected to fill any such vacancy or newly created directorship shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Senior Managing Directors, Managing Directors, President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretaries and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Controlled Company Exemption
After completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under these rules, a company may elect to utilize exemptions from certain of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements, including the requirements (a) that a majority of the board consists of independent directors; (b) for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees; (c) that the controlled company has a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and (d) that the controlled company has a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibility. We intend to rely on certain of these exemptions from the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq. As a result, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
Director Independence
So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, a majority of our board of directors generally must be independent, subject to certain limited exceptions set forth under the rules of Nasdaq. We intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemption and therefore we may not always have a majority of independent directors on our board. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that each of Carl Grimstad and Charlotte Blechman is an “independent director” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. We intend to appoint an additional independent director to our board during the one-year period following this offering pursuant to the Nasdaq phase-in provisions for initial public offerings. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
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Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Except as described below, to date, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our officers and directors, or, other than as described herein, to our sponsor or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, we will pay cash fees to our independent directors of $50,000 per year, payable quarterly. In addition, commencing on the date our Class A ordinary shares are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an amount equal to $10,000 per month to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. In addition, our officers and directors will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. We may engage CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and/or placement agent for any securities offering to occur concurrently with our initial business combination and pay such affiliate a customary financial advisory and/or placement agent fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory or placement agent fee for comparable transactions. Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor, and such target company may pay such affiliate a financial advisory fee in connection with our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and certain limited exceptions, Nasdaq rules and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. In addition, Nasdaq rules generally require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, subject to certain limited exceptions set forth thereunder.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. Carl Grimstad, Charlotte Blechman and Danny Salinas will serve as members of our audit committee, and Mr. Grimstad will chair the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members
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of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Each of Mr. Grimstad and Ms. Blechman meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b) (1) under the Exchange Act but Mr. Salinas does not meet such standards. We intend to appoint an additional independent director to our audit committee to replace our non-independent member during the one-year period following this offering pursuant to the Nasdaq phase-in provisions for initial public offerings.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Grimstad qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including, among other items:
• the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
• pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;
• setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations;
• setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
• obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures, (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 and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence;
• reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
• reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Charlotte Blechman and Carl Grimstad will serve as members of our compensation committee. Each of Ms. Blechman and Mr. Grimstad is independent and Ms. Blechman will chair the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including, among other items:
• reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, if any is paid by us, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
• reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation, if any is paid by us, of all of our other officers;
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• reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;
• implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
• assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
• approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
• if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
• reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Clawback Policy
We have adopted a compensation recovery policy that is compliant with the Nasdaq Listing Rules, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act, to be effective upon the closing of this offering.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place. Generally, companies are required by Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules to select director nominees through either (i) a vote solely of independent directors or (ii) a nominations committee comprised solely of independent directors. However, we intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemption and are therefore exempt from this requirement.
Director candidates may be nominated by the holders of our Class B ordinary shares, which have the exclusive right to vote on directors prior to our initial business combination. The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our other shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual general meeting (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for appointment to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit and compensation committee charters as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. 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
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request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics, including any implicit waiver from a provision of the Code of Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions requiring disclosure under applicable SEC or Nasdaq rules, in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
(i) duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
(ii) duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
(iii) directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
(iv) duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
(v) duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
(vi) duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
All of our officers are employed by Cantor or its affiliates. Cantor is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Cantor will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Cantor may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Cantor may decide to share with us. In addition, our officers and directors may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to other entities to which they owe duties or clients of affiliates of our sponsor.
As a result, affiliates of our sponsor and their respective clients may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. If any of them decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunity. In addition, investment ideas generated within Cantor, including by any of our officers and other persons who may make decisions for the company, may be suitable both for us and for affiliates of our sponsor or any of their respective clients, and will be directed initially to such persons rather than to us. None of Cantor nor members of our management team who are also employed by Cantor or any of its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware unless it is offered to them solely in their capacity as a director or officer of the Company and after they have satisfied their contractual and fiduciary obligations to other parties.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, Cantor and their affiliates may sponsor, form or participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company or may pursue other business or investment ventures, even prior to us entering into a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors
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of the Active Cantor SPAC, which is focused on searching for businesses in which our search is focused. The Active Cantor SPAC may compete with us for business combination opportunities. If the Active Cantor SPAC decides to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunity.
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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Conflicts may arise from Cantor’s affiliation with us, their or their affiliates provision of services both to us, the Active Cantor SPAC, if applicable, and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by Cantor for its own account. CF&Co. is often engaged as a financial advisor, or placement agent, to corporations and other entities and their directors and managers in connection with the sale of those entities, their assets or their subsidiaries. Alternatively, CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, may be a financial advisor to a target business that we pursue a business combination with and CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, may receive fees from the target business in connection with a business combination. CF&Co. also represents potential buyer’s businesses and may be incentivized or obligated to direct an opportunity to one of these buyers in lieu of us, thereby eliminating or reducing the investment opportunity available to us. For example, CF&Co. is engaged by the Active Cantor SPAC in connection with the marketing of a business combination by the Active Cantor SPAC. CF&Co. may be engaged from time to time by the Active Cantor SPAC to provide financial advisory and placement agency services in connection with such business combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with the Active Cantor SPAC. This would only occur, though, if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and our sponsor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition could involve a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination.
The potential conflicts described above may limit our ability to enter into a business combination or other transactions. These circumstances could give rise to numerous situations where interests may conflict. There can be no assurance that these or other conflicts of interest with the potential for adverse effects on the Company and investors will not arise.
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.
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• In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
• Our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares or private placement shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders 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 shares held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable by our sponsor until the earlier of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization 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. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement shares will not be transferable, assignable or saleable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees 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 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.
• Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination.
• Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor note.
• We may engage CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and/or placement agent for any securities offering to occur concurrently with our initial business combination and pay such affiliate a customary financial advisory and/or placement agent fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory or placement agent fee for comparable transactions.
• Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor, and such target company may pay such affiliate a financial advisory fee in connection with our initial business combination.
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The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:
Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
Howard W. Lutnick | Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.(1) | Financial holding company | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |||
BGC Group, Inc.(2) | Public company — financial services | Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Newmark Group, Inc.(3) | Public company — real estate services | Chairman of the Board | ||||
Cantor Fitzgerald Income Trust, Inc. (formerly known as Rodin Global Property Trust, Inc.) | Real estate investment trust | Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer | ||||
CF Acquisition Corp. VII | Blank check company | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Jane Novak | Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.(1) | Financial holding company | Managing Director | |||
CF Acquisition Corp. VII | Blank check company | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Danny Salinas | Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.(1) | Financial holding company | Chief Financial Officer | |||
Carl A. Grimstad | C. Grimstead Associates, LLC | Family investment entity | Chief Manager | |||
GC Capital, LLC | Family investment company | Managing Partner | ||||
Charlotte Blechman | Not applicable |
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(1) Includes direct and indirect subsidiaries of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. including entities that are not wholly-owned, directly or indirectly, by Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.
(2) Includes direct and indirect subsidiaries of BGC Group, Inc. including entities that are not wholly-owned, directly or indirectly, by BGC Group, Inc.
(3) Includes direct and indirect subsidiaries of Newmark Group, Inc. including entities that are not wholly-owned, directly or indirectly, by Newmark Group, Inc.
Accordingly, the above officers or directors may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Among other potential conflicts, the Active Cantor SPAC may present conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target and potential business combination opportunities will be presented to the Active Cantor SPAC and us will be made in the sole discretion of our management team, some members of which are also members of the management team of the Active Cantor SPAC. While we expect that the Active Cantor SPAC may have priority over us with respect to acquisition opportunities until they complete an initial business combination, our management team has significant experience in identifying and executing multiple acquisition opportunities simultaneously and we are not limited in any manner in terms of industry focus or geographical location in terms of the acquisition opportunities we can pursue. As such, we do not believe that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors, or of Cantor, or policies applicable to Cantor, will materially affect our ability
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to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with Cantor or its affiliates or our sponsor, officers or directors, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, its affiliates or our officers or directors, 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 that our initial business combination is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
In addition, our sponsor or any of its affiliates, or any of their respective clients, may make additional investments in the company in connection with the initial business combination, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial business combination.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction).
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the directors’ and officers’ liability 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 offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of ordinary shares 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 and directors that beneficially owns our ordinary shares; and
• all our officers and directors as a group.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them.
Our initial shareholders have purchased 2,875,000 founder shares (up to 375,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 300,000 private placement shares for a purchase price of $10.00 per share in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders before and after this offering. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 375,000 founder shares on a pro rata basis, and that there are an aggregate of 12,800,000 ordinary shares, consisting of (i) 10,300,000 Class A ordinary shares and (ii) 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares, issued and outstanding after this offering.
Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of | Approximate | Number of | Approximate | ||||||
Cantor EP Holdings, LLC(3) | 2,875,000 | 100.0 | % | 2,800,000 | 21.9 | % | ||||
Howard W. Lutnick(3) | 2,875,000 | 100.0 | % | 2,800,000 | 21.9 | % | ||||
Jane Novak | — | — |
| — | — |
| ||||
Danny Salinas | — | — |
| — | — |
| ||||
Carl A. Grimstad | — | — |
| — | — |
| ||||
Charlotte Blechman | — | — |
| — | — |
| ||||
All officers and directors as a group (5 individuals) | 2,875,000 | 100.0 | % | 2,800,000 | 21.9 | % |
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(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Cantor Equity Partners, Inc., 110 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022.
(2) Interests shown consist of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities,” and with respect to the interests held after this offering, 300,000 Class A ordinary shares issuable pursuant to a private placement.
(3) Our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. Cantor is the sole member of our sponsor. CFGM is the managing general partner of Cantor. Mr. Lutnick, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CFGM and trustee of CFGM’s sole stockholder. As such, each of Cantor, CFGM and Mr. Lutnick may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the ordinary shares held directly by our sponsor. Each such entity or person disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly.
Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders will beneficially own 21.9% of our then-issued and outstanding ordinary shares (including the private placement shares and assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering). Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount so that the founder shares will continue to represent 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation
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of this offering (not including the private placement shares). Because of this ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the appointment of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands), amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
The holders of the founder shares and private placement shares have agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) and (B) not to redeem any shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor and our executive officers are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Shares
The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion thereof) and the private placement shares are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such shares are not transferable or saleable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization 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, and (ii) in the case of the private placement shares, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any current or future affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, any current or future affiliates of our sponsor or as a gift to a charitable organization, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of one of the members of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of one of the individual’s immediate family, an current or future affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement or in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (g) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements 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 private placement shares, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of up to $1,750,000 in working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed on or prior to the closing of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our sponsor may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights solely with respect to the private placement shares after five (5) and seven (7) years, respectively, after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may not exercise its demand rights with respect to the private placement shares on more than one occasion.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
In November 2020, our sponsor purchased 14,375,000 founder shares for a purchase price of $25,000. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, our sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which we cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares upon completion of this offering (not including the private placement shares). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount so that the founder shares will continue to represent 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the private placement shares). Up to 375,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 300,000 private placement shares for a purchase price of $10.00 per share in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at $3,000,000.
The private placement shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering except that (i) the private placement shares are subject to lock-up as described herein and (ii) holders of such shares will be entitled to certain registration rights. The private placement shares may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” 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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, its affiliates, or our officers or directors, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, its affiliates or our officers or directors, 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 that our initial business combination is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
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Other than as described below, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, we will pay cash fees to our independent directors of $50,000 per year, payable quarterly. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2025 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the estimated $750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). The value of our sponsor’s interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount issued and outstanding under any such loan.
Commencing on the date our Class A ordinary shares are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an amount equal to $10,000 per month to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. 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 24 months, our sponsor will be paid a total of $240,000 ($10,000 per month) and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
We may engage CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and/or placement agent for any securities offering to occur concurrently with our initial business combination and pay such affiliate a customary financial advisory and/or placement agent fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory or placement agent fee for comparable transactions. Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor, and such target company may pay such affiliate a financial advisory fee in connection with our initial business combination.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed $1,750,000 to be provided to us on a non-interest bearing basis to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us additional funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. Such loans will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering. 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. Other than as set forth above, the terms of such additional loans by our sponsor, its affiliates and our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor note.
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After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the private placement shares, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of up to $1,750,000 in working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Registration Rights.”
We will pay the underwriters an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $0.20 per share) in underwriting discounts and commissions in connection with this offering. No commissions will be paid on any Class A ordinary shares sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option. We will also pay $100,000 to Odeon for acting as the “qualified independent underwriter” in this offering.
We have engaged CF&Co. as an advisor in connection with our business combination, pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” We will pay CF&Co. a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the base offering and 5.5% of the gross proceeds from the full or partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. As a result, CF&Co. will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination.
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.
We have adopted 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 was adopted is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, 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 officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we 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 that our initial business combination is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting
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fee, non-cash payments, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, 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 $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor, which our sponsor has committed to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
• Repayment of the $1,750,000 loan commitment made by our sponsor for working capital;
• Repayment of the sponsor note in an amount up to $1,500,000;
• Payment to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month;
• We will pay cash fees to our independent directors of $50,000 per year, payable quarterly;
• Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination;
• Repayment of any additional 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, which will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering, and the other terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto; and
• Payment to CF&Co. of its underwriting discount, Marketing Fee, fees for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking services CF&Co. may provide to us in the future, including in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, and reimbursement of CF&Co. for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services.
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 Cayman Islands exempted company (company number 367925) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, upon consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 550,000,000 ordinary shares, including 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each and 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, and 5,000,000 undesignated preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Public Shares
Each Class A ordinary share has an offering price of $10.00. The Class A ordinary shares will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus.
Private Placement Shares
The private placement shares are identical to the public shares sold in this offering except that (i) they are subject to restrictions on transfer as described herein and (ii) holders of such shares will be entitled to certain registration rights.
Ordinary Shares
Upon the closing of this offering, 12,800,000 of our ordinary shares will be issued and outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 375,000 founder shares by our sponsor), consisting of:
• 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares being offered in this offering;
• 300,000 Class A ordinary shares being offered in a private placement to be consummated concurrently with this offering; and
• 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders.
If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount so that the founder shares will continue to represent 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the private placement shares).
Holders of ordinary shares of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to (i) appoint all of our directors or (ii) vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). On any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, holders of our Class B ordinary shares and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended if approved by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting at a general meeting. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable law or 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 (other than the appointment of directors). Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (unless a different voting standard is specified therein) and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors will be
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divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. However, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to appoint or remove directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, meaning that holders of Class A ordinary shares will not have the right to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial business combination. The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing these matters prior to our initial business combination and our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds (90% in the case of director appointment) of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into an initial business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such an initial business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the initial business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general 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 extraordinary general meetings or appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (and less taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The redemption price is initially anticipated to be $10.15 per public share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event). Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares (whether in person or by proxy).
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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 voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give prior written notice of any such meeting as is required by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct repurchases in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our 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 Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to 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 initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 25% 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, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 3,600,001, or 36.0%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted at the meeting) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming in each case the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, or if they vote at all, or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering and we do not seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, 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 liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares or
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private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after an initial business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares 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, (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 any founder shares, private placement shares, and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares 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 allow redemption as described in this prospectus 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 any founder shares or private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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, (iii) the founder shares are our Class B ordinary shares that will automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein, (iv) prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) and (v) are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction).
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, including pursuant to a specified future issuance, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including a specified future issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal,
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in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including the private placement shares) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination). We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A shareholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares. If such adjustment is not waived, the specified future issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B ordinary shares, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. If such adjustment is waived, the specified future issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our ordinary shares. The issuance of any securities issued in connection with a financing provided by an affiliate of ours relating to an Affiliated Joint Acquisition will not result in such an adjustment to the conversion ratio of our Class B ordinary shares. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or saleable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization 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.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
• the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of the shares of each member;
• whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue;
• the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
• the date on which any person ceased to be a member.
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
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Preference shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares issued and outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
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 an 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 conditions subsequent to completion of an initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. 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
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity. Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company has agreed that it has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account, and has irrevocably waived any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account that it may have now or in the future. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied, or a claim will only be able to be pursued, solely against us and our assets outside the trust account and not against the any monies in the trust account or interest earned thereon.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of 66 2⁄3% in value of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If
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the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains issued and outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted. Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation. The arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at an annual general meeting, or extraordinary general meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
• we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with;
• the shareholders have been fairly represented at the general meeting in question;
• the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and
• the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.”
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates is made within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
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Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
• a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority;
• the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or
• those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States. We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows (a) the shareholder must give its written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for its shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of its intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of its shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase its shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
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Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
• an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;
• an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection;
• an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
• an exempted company may issue shares with no par value;
• an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);
• an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
• an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and
• an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment of directors and continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, which require the approval of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting) cannot be amended without the approval of a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 21.9% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this
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offering (assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that:
• If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering and we do not seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, 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 liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
• Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.
• Although we do not intend to enter into an initial 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 that such an initial business combination is fair to our shareholders 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 under 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 under the Exchange Act; whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above.
• So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination.
• If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision 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 Class A ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares.
• We will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
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• Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
• In a vote to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares), only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (as further described herein), prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination including pursuant to any forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets requirement.
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provide otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to this offering, including the structure and business plan, which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering-Cayman Islands
If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money-laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
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Cayman Islands Data Protection
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “DPA”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the DPA (“personal data”).
In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us. We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in us, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use Your Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
(i) where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements;
(ii) where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or
(iii) where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms.
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
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Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances, we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the United States, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors will be classified into two classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual general meetings. Our authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and preference shares 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 Class A ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Class B Ordinary Shares Consent Right
For so long as any Class B ordinary shares remain issued and outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the Class B ordinary shares then issued and outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision our memorandum and articles of association, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B ordinary shares. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B ordinary shares may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all Class B ordinary shares were present and voted.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after the consummation of this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over- allotment option) we will have 12,800,000 (or 14,675,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares issued and outstanding. Of these shares, the 10,000,000 shares (or 11,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The 2,500,000 (or 2,875,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) founder shares and 300,000 private placement shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and the Class B ordinary shares and private placement shares are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be entitled to registration rights as more fully described below under “— Registration Rights.”
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Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares then issued and outstanding, which will equal 103,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 118,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); 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 materials required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and
• at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.
As a result, our initial shareholders will be able to sell their founder shares and private placement shares pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the private placement shares, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of up to $1,750,000 in working capital loans described elsewhere in this prospectus will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed on or prior to the closing of this offering, requiring us to register such securities for resale. The holders of the majority 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our sponsor may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights solely with respect to the private placement shares after five (5) and seven (7) years, respectively, after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may not exercise its demand rights with respect to the private placement shares on more than one occasion.
Listing of Shares
Our Class A ordinary shares have been approved for listing on Nasdaq under the symbol “CEP.”
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The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our Class A ordinary shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our Class A ordinary shares under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in our Class A ordinary shares. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our Class A ordinary shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our Class A ordinary shares nor will gains derived from the disposal of our Class A ordinary shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and has obtained an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised)
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised), the Financial Secretary undertakes with Cantor Equity Partners, Inc. (“the Company”):
1. That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and
2. In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:
2.1 On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or
2.2 by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised).
These concessions shall be for a period of twenty years from the date hereof.
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United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following discussion summarizes certain United States federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares that are purchased in this offering by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below).
This discussion does not address the United States federal income tax consequences to our founders, sponsor, officers or directors, or to holders of private placement shares. This discussion is limited to certain United States federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our Class A ordinary shares who are initial purchasers of a Class A ordinary share pursuant to this offering and hold our Class A ordinary shares 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 any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares will be in U.S. dollars.
This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances, including but not limited to, the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on net investment income and the different consequences that may apply to investors that are subject to special rules under U.S. federal income tax laws, including but not limited to:
• our sponsor, officers and directors or other holders of our Class B ordinary shares or private placement shares;
• banks, financial institutions or financial services entities;
• broker-dealers;
• taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market tax accounting rules or the “applicable financial statement” accounting rules under Section 451(b) of the Code;
• tax-exempt entities;
• governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
• insurance companies;
• regulated investment companies;
• real estate investment trusts;
• qualified foreign pension funds;
• expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;
• persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more (by vote or value) of our shares;
• persons that acquired our Class A ordinary shares pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation;
• persons that hold our Class A ordinary shares as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedge, wash sale, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction;
• U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
• controlled foreign corporations;
• passive foreign investment companies; and
• partnerships (or entities or arrangements classified as partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and any beneficial owners of such partnerships.
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Moreover, 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, which may result in United States federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address any aspect of United States federal non-income tax laws, such as gift or estate tax laws, or state, local or non-United States tax laws.
We have not sought, and do not expect to seek, a ruling from the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as to any United States 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.
If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership or other pass-through entity for United States federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our Class A ordinary shares, the United States federal income tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner in such partnership or other pass-through entity generally will depend on the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner and the activities of the partnership or other pass-through entity. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership or other pass-through entity holding our Class A ordinary shares, you are urged to consult your own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares.
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES 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 CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY UNITED STATES FEDERAL NON-INCOME, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-UNITED STATES TAX LAWS.
U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. Holder.” A U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our Class A ordinary shares who or that is, for United States federal income tax purposes:
• an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
• a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
• an estate whose income is subject to United States federal income tax regardless of its source; or
• a trust, if (i) 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 (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
Taxation of Distributions
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 in the year actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder the amount of any distribution of cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our shares or rights to acquire our shares) paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under United States federal income tax principles). Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (the treatment of which is described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares” below).
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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. With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, dividends generally will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, we are not a PFIC at the time the dividend was paid or in the previous year, and certain other requirements are met. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of such lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares (including a redemption of our Class A ordinary shares (as described below) that is treated as a taxable disposition, including pursuant to our dissolution and liquidation if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period). Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such Class A ordinary shares exceeds one year. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder may be taxed at reduced rates of taxation. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period of the Class A ordinary shares for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Class A ordinary shares is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. Holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
The amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. Holder on a sale or other taxable disposition 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 and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost reduced by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.
Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Ordinary Shares” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (such open market purchase of Class A ordinary shares by us is referred to as a “redemption” for the remainder of this discussion), the treatment of the transaction for United States federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “— Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. Holder described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares issued and outstanding both before and after such redemption. A redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if such redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by such holder. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any shares the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively
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owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other shares of ours. The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if such redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption of any Class A ordinary shares.
If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption of any Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, possibly to other shares constructively owned by it.
U.S. holders who actually or constructively own five percent (or, if our Class A ordinary shares are not then publicly traded, one percent) or more of our shares (by vote or value) may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of Class A ordinary shares, and such holders are urged to consult with their own tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes if either (i) 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 or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income.
Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. However, pursuant to a startup exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “startup year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the startup year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the startup exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year and, perhaps, until after the end of our two taxable years following our startup year. 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 startup exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the startup exception to our current taxable year, perhaps until after the end of our two taxable years following our startup year). Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. In addition, our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for our current or future taxable years.
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Although our PFIC status is determined annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC generally will apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held Class A ordinary shares while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares and the U.S. Holder did not make either a timely mark-to-market election or a 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) Class A ordinary shares, as described below, such U.S. Holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares (which may include gain realized by reason of transfers of Class A ordinary shares that would otherwise qualify as nonrecognition transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. Holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. Holder during a taxable year of the U.S. Holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. Holder or, if shorter, the portion of such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares that preceded the taxable year of the distribution.
Under these rules:
• the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares;
• the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. Holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income;
• the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. Holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. Holder without regard to the U.S. Holder’s other items of income and loss for such year; and
• an additional amount equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. Holder with respect to the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. Holder.
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may be able to avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our Class A ordinary shares by making a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
If a U.S. Holder makes a QEF election with respect to its Class A ordinary shares in a year after our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, then notwithstanding such QEF election, the rules relating to “excess distributions” discussed above, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares, unless the U.S. Holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under the purging election, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, the U.S. Holder will have additional basis (to the extent of any gain recognized on the deemed sale) and, solely for purposes of the PFIC rules, a new holding period in the Class A ordinary shares.
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed United States 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 tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
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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, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
If a U.S. Holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of our earnings and profits, whether or not distributed for such year. A subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable when distributed to such U.S. Holder. The tax basis of a U.S. Holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. In addition, if we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to our Class A ordinary shares for such a taxable year.
Alternatively, if a U.S. Holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. Holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. Holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above with respect to its Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. Holder will include as ordinary income in each taxable year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. Holder also will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. 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 Stock Market (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. Holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. Holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. Upon written request, 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. There can be 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 such required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to such lower-tier PFIC. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
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A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF, purging, and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares 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, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of United States federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Specified foreign financial assets generally include any financial account maintained with a non-U.S. financial institution and should also include our Class A ordinary shares if they are not held in an account maintained with a U.S. financial institution. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of United States federal income taxes may be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. Holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our Class A ordinary shares that is for United States federal income tax purposes:
• a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates);
• a foreign corporation; or
• an estate or trust that is not a U.S. Holder;
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition of our Class A ordinary shares. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the United States federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares.
Dividends (including, as described under “— U.S. Holders-Possible Constructive Distributions” above, constructive distributions treated as dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect of our Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to United States 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 Non-U.S. Holder maintains in the United States). In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares 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 Non-U.S. Holder maintains in the United States).
Dividends (including, as described under “— U.S. Holders-Possible Constructive Distributions” above, constructive distributions treated as dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, 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 United States federal
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income tax at the same regular United States 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 United States 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.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible 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. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s United States federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.
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UNDERWRITING (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is acting as sole book-running manager of the offering and as representative of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, the underwriters named below have agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, the following respective number of Class A ordinary shares set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.
Underwriters | Number of | |
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. | 10,000,000 | |
Total | 10,000,000 |
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the Class A ordinary shares included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the Class A ordinary shares (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the Class A ordinary shares.
Class A ordinary shares sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any Class A ordinary shares sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $0.12 per share. After the initial public offering, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. The underwriters have advised us that they do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
If the underwriters sell more Class A ordinary shares than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Class A ordinary shares at the public offering price. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. Any Class A ordinary shares issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other Class A ordinary shares that are the subject of this offering.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of the underwriters, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares, subject to certain exceptions. The underwriters in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement shares pursuant to the letter agreement as described herein.
Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization 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 (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Shares”). The private placement shares will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Shares”).
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A ordinary shares. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the Class A ordinary shares was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in the equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our
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company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares will develop and continue after this offering.
Our Class A ordinary shares have been approved for listing on Nasdaq under the symbol “CEP.”
We will pay the underwriters an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $0.20 per share) in underwriting discounts and commissions in connection with this offering. No commissions will be paid on any Class A ordinary shares sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option. We will also pay $100,000 to Odeon for acting as the “qualified independent underwriter” in this offering.
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Payable by | ||||||
No Exercise | Full Exercise | |||||
Per Class A ordinary share(1) | $ | 0.20 | $ | 0.20 | ||
Total(1) | $ | 2,000,000 | $ | 2,000,000 |
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(1) Not including business combination marketing fee payable to CF&Co. upon consummation of our initial business combination. See “— Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” In addition to the foregoing, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 300,000 private placement shares as described below.
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $750,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for all expenses and fees (including counsel fees) related to the review by FINRA, which will not exceed $15,000, and the expenses of investigations and background checks of our principals not to exceed the lesser of $2,000 per principal and $20,000 in the aggregate for investigations and background checks.
Our sponsor, an affiliate of CF&Co., has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 300,000 private placement shares, at a price of $10.00 per share ($3,000,000 in the aggregate), in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement shares have terms and provisions that are identical to the shares sold in this offering except as described under “Description of Securities — Private Placement Shares.” The private placement shares will be considered underwriting compensation in connection with this offering. Such private placement shares will be subject to lock-up restrictions, as required by FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1) and may not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such shares by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the offering, except as provided in FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2). We have granted our sponsor the registration rights as described under the section “Description of our Securities — Registration Rights.” The demand and piggyback registration rights being granted to our sponsor solely with respect to the private placement shares are subject to FINRA Rule 5110(g) and will be in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110.05.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
Except as described below under “— Business Combination Marketing Agreement,” we are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering. However, the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future or provide us with other services in connection with our initial business combination and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any of their affiliates a finder’s fee or other compensation for raising such capital. Additionally, if the underwriters provide other services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriters fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering.
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The underwriters and their affiliates may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, for which it may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for any such 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.
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
We have engaged CF&Co. as an advisor in connection with our business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our shareholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay CF&Co. a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the base offering and 5.5% of the gross proceeds from the full or partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. As a result, CF&Co. will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination.
Conflicts of Interest
We, our sponsor and CF&Co. are controlled by Cantor. CFGM is the managing general partner of Cantor and Howard W. Lutnick, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CFGM and the trustee of CFGM’s sole stockholder. Therefore, we are deemed to be an affiliate of CF&Co., a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or FINRA. As a result, CF&Co. is deemed to have a “conflict of interest” under Rule 5121(f)(5) of the Conduct Rules of FINRA. Accordingly, this offering will be made in compliance with Rule 5121 of FINRA’s Conduct Rules, which prohibits CF&Co. from making sales to discretionary accounts without the prior written approval of the account holder and requires that a “qualified independent underwriter,” as defined by FINRA participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standard of due diligence with respect to such document. We have engaged Odeon to be the qualified independent underwriter and participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” in respect thereto. We agreed to pay Odeon a fee of $100,000 upon the completion of this offering in consideration for its services and expenses as the qualified independent underwriter. Odeon will receive no other compensation.
Stabilization and Other Transactions
The underwriters pursuant to Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the Class A ordinary shares at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.
“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional Class A ordinary shares in this offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising the over-allotment option or purchasing our Class A ordinary shares in the open market or from market participants. In determining the source of Class A ordinary shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of Class A ordinary shares available for purchase in the market as compared to the price at which they may purchase Class A ordinary shares through the over-allotment option.
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“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional Class A ordinary shares. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing Class A ordinary shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the Class A ordinary shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.
A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of Class A ordinary shares on behalf of the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the Class A ordinary shares. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of Class A ordinary shares on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our Class A ordinary shares or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, the price of our Class A ordinary shares may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriters to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the Class A ordinary shares originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.
Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our Class A ordinary shares. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, may end any of these activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on the Nasdaq in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
Notice to Investors
Canada
This prospectus constitutes an “exempt offering document” as defined in and for the purposes of applicable Canadian securities laws. No prospectus has been filed with any securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada in connection with the offer and sale of the securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon this prospectus or on the merits of the securities and any representation to the contrary is an offence.
Canadian investors are advised that this prospectus has been prepared in reliance on section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33-105”). Pursuant to section 3A.3 of NI 33-105, this prospectus is exempt from the requirement that the issuer and the underwriter(s) provide investors with certain conflicts of interest disclosure pertaining to “connected issuer” and/or “related issuer” relationships that may exist between the issuer and the underwriter(s) as would otherwise be required pursuant to subsection 2.1(1) of NI 33-105.
Resale Restrictions
The offer and sale of the securities in Canada is being made on a private placement basis only and is exempt from the requirement that the issuer prepares and files a prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws. Any resale of the securities acquired by a Canadian investor in this offering must be made in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, pursuant to a statutory exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt from the prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority. These resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to resales of the securities outside of Canada.
Representations of Purchasers
Each Canadian investor who purchases the securities will be deemed to have represented to the issuer and the underwriter(s) that the investor (i) is purchasing the securities as principal, or is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and not with a view to resale or redistribution; (ii) is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106
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Prospectus Exemptions (“NI 45-106”) or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario); and (iii) is a “permitted client” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Any discussion of taxation and related matters contained in this prospectus does not purport to be a comprehensive description of all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to a Canadian investor when deciding to purchase the securities and, in particular, does not address any Canadian tax considerations. No representation or warranty is hereby made as to the tax consequences to a resident, or deemed resident, of Canada of an investment in the securities or with respect to the eligibility of the securities for investment by such investor under relevant Canadian federal and provincial legislation and regulations.
Rights of Action for Damages or Rescission
Securities legislation in certain of the Canadian jurisdictions provides certain purchasers of securities pursuant to an offering memorandum (such as this prospectus), including where the distribution involves an “eligible foreign security” as such term is defined in Ontario Securities Commission Rule 45-501 Ontario Prospectus and Registration Exemptions and in Multilateral Instrument 45-107 Listing Representation and Statutory Rights of Action Disclosure Exemptions, as applicable, with a remedy for damages or rescission, or both, in addition to any other rights they may have at law, where the offering memorandum, or other offering document that constitutes an offering memorandum, and any amendment thereto, contains a “misrepresentation” as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. These remedies, or notice with respect to these remedies, must be exercised or delivered, as the case may be, by the purchaser within the time limits prescribed under, and are subject to limitations and defences under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. In addition, these remedies are in addition to and without derogation from any other right or remedy available at law to the investor.
Language of Documents
Upon receipt of this document, each Canadian investor hereby confirms that it has expressly requested that all documents evidencing or relating in any way to the sale of the securities described herein (including for greater certainty any purchase confirmation or any notice) be drawn up in the English language only. Par la reception de ce document, chaque investisseur Canadien confirme par les présentes qu’il a expressément exigé que tous les documents faisant foi ou se rapportant de quelque manière que ce soit à la vente des valeurs mobilières décrites aux présentes (incluant, pour plus de certitude, toute confirmation d’achat ou tout avis) soient rédigés en anglaise seulement.
Australia
This document does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Corporations Act”) of Australia. This document has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this document in Australia:
You confirm and warrant that you are either:
• a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act;
• a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made; or
• a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act.
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To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this document is void and incapable of acceptance.
You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the shares issued to you pursuant to this document for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.
European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area (each a “Member State”), no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the securities may be offered to the public in that Member State at any time to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation;
(i) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(ii) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in a Member State who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation. In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a Member State to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase, or subscribe for, any securities and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
In Member States, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation (“Qualified Investors”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in any Member State by persons who are not Qualified Investors. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in any Member State only to Qualified Investors and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Hong Kong
No securities have been, may be or will be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the “SFO”)
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and any rules made thereunder; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding UP and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the “C(WUMP)O”), or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the C(WUMP)O. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or will be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.
This document has not been and will not be registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this document may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this document and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.
Japan
The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended) (the “FIEA”), and the Initial Purchaser will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means, unless otherwise provided herein, any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEA and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.
Singapore
This document has not been and will not be lodged or registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this document and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or the invitation for subscription or purchase of the securities may not be issued, circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person as defined under Section 275(2) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA and where (where applicable) Regulation 3 of the Securities and Futures (Classes of Investors) Regulations 2018, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of any other applicable provision of the SFA. In the event that you are not an investor falling within any of the categories set out above, please return this document immediately. You may not forward or circulate this document to any other person in Singapore.
No offer is made to you with a view to the securities being subsequently offered for sale to any other party. There are on-sale restrictions that may be applicable to investors who acquire securities. As such, investors are advised to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the SFA relating to resale restrictions and comply accordingly.
Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
• a corporation (which is not an accredited investor as defined under Section 4A of the SFA) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or
• a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor,
167
securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities under Section 275 of the SFA except:
• to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;
• where no consideration is given for the transfer;
• where the transfer is by operation of law;
• as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or
• as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore.
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the issuer or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, or FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In the State of Israel, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the shares is directed only at, investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals”, each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors will be required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom, no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, except that the securities may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
(i) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation;
168
(ii) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(iii) in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the “FSMA”),
provided that no such offer of the securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in the United Kingdom who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in the United Kingdom to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation who are also: (i) persons who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”); (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2) of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in the United Kingdom only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in connection with the issue or sale of the securities in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply. All applicable provisions of the FSMA and the Order must be complied with in respect of anything done by any person in relation to the securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
169
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York, is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our Class A ordinary shares under the Securities Act. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, Cayman Islands, will pass upon the validity of the Class A ordinary shares offered in this prospectus with respect to matters of Cayman Islands law. Graubard Miller is advising the underwriters in connection with the offering of the Class A ordinary shares.
The financial statements of Cantor Equity Partners, Inc. as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, 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.
We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
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F-1
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
BALANCE SHEETS
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
Assets: |
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|
|
| ||||
Deferred offering costs | $ | 42,672 |
| $ | — |
| ||
Total Assets | $ | 42,672 |
| $ | — |
| ||
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|
| |||||
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Deficit: |
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| ||||
Current liabilities: |
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| ||||
Accrued expenses | $ | 100,420 |
| $ | 112,607 |
| ||
Note payable – related party |
| 272,638 |
|
| 182,434 |
| ||
Total Liabilities |
| 373,058 |
|
| 295,041 |
| ||
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| |||||
Commitments and Contingencies |
| — |
|
| — |
| ||
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Shareholder’s Deficit: |
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| ||||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
| — |
|
| — |
| ||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
| — |
|
| — |
| ||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 2,875,000 shares issued and outstanding(1) |
|
|
|
| ||||
| 288 |
|
| 288 | (2) | |||
Additional paid-in capital |
| 24,712 |
|
| 24,712 |
| ||
Accumulated deficit |
| (355,386 | ) |
| (320,041 | ) | ||
Total Shareholder’s Deficit |
| (330,386 | ) |
| (295,041 | ) | ||
Total Liabilities, Shareholder’s Deficit and Commitments and Contingencies | $ | 42,672 |
| $ | — |
|
____________
(1) Both periods include up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 6).
(2) The number of shares and the amount have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in February 2024 (see Note 6).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-2
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the Three Months Ended | For the Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses | $ | 14,790 |
| $ | 24,255 |
| $ | 35,345 |
| $ | 24,961 |
| ||||
Net loss | $ | (14,790 | ) | $ | (24,255 | ) | $ | (35,345 | ) | $ | (24,961 | ) | ||||
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Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1) |
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| ||||||||
| 2,500,000 |
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| 2,500,000 | (2) |
| 2,500,000 |
|
| 2,500,000 | (2) | |||||
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Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.01 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) |
____________
(1) All periods include up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 6).
(2) This number has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in February 2024 (see Note 6).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICIT
For the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2024
Ordinary Shares | Additional | Accumulated | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||
Class A | Class B | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares(1) | Amount(1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Balance – December 31, 2023 |
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— | $ | — | 2,875,000 | (2) | $ | 288 | (2) | $ | 24,712 | $ | (320,041 | ) | $ | (295,041 | ) | ||||||||
Net loss | — |
| — | — |
|
| — |
|
| — |
| (20,555 | ) |
| (20,555 | ) | |||||||
Balance – March 31, 2024 | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 |
| $ | 288 |
| $ | 24,712 | $ | (340,596 | ) | $ | (315,596 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | — |
| — | — |
|
| — |
|
| — |
| (14,790 | ) |
| (14,790 | ) | |||||||
Balance – June 30, 2024 | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 |
| $ | 288 |
| $ | 24,712 | $ | (355,386 | ) | $ | (330,386 | ) |
For the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
Ordinary Shares | Additional | Accumulated | Total | ||||||||||||||||||
Class A | Class B | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares(3) | Amount(3) | ||||||||||||||||||
Balance – December 31, 2022 | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 | $ | 288 | $ | 24,712 | $ | (67,175 | ) | $ | (42,175 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | — |
| — | — |
| — |
| — |
| (706 | ) |
| (706 | ) | |||||||
Balance – March 31, 2023 | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 | $ | 288 | $ | 24,712 | $ | (67,881 | ) | $ | (42,881 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | — |
| — | — |
| — |
| — |
| (24,255 | ) |
| (24,255 | ) | |||||||
Balance – June 30, 2023 | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 | $ | 288 | $ | 24,712 | $ | (92,136 | ) | $ | (67,136 | ) |
____________
(1) All periods include up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 6).
(2) The number of shares and the amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in February 2024 (see Note 6).
(3) All periods include up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. The number of shares and the amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in June 2023 and February 2024, respectively (see Note 6).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 (Unaudited)
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
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Net loss | $ | (35,345 | ) | $ | (24,961 | ) | ||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
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Accrued expenses |
| 35,345 |
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| 24,961 |
| ||
Net cash used in operating activities |
| — |
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| — |
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Net change in cash |
| — |
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| — |
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Cash – beginning of the period |
| — |
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| — |
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Cash – end of the period | $ | — |
| $ | — |
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Supplemental Non-Cash Disclosure |
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| ||||
Change in Deferred offering costs | $ | 42,672 |
| $ | 33,633 |
| ||
Deferred offering costs included in Accrued expenses | $ | 10,630 |
| $ | 33,633 |
| ||
Accrued expenses paid from Note payable – related party | $ | 37,607 |
| $ | 9,754 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-5
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
1. Description of Business and Operations
Description of Business — Cantor Equity Partners, Inc. (the “Company”), formerly known as CF Acquisition Corp. A, was incorporated on November 11, 2020 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).
Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purpose of consummating the Business Combination, the Company intends to focus its search primarily on companies operating in the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries. 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 June 30, 2024, the Company had not yet commenced operations. All activity through June 30, 2024 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”) described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of the Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year-end.
The Company’s sponsor is Cantor EP Holdings, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through the Proposed Public Offering (as discussed in Note 3), pursuant to which the Company proposes to issue 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A ordinary shares” and such Class A ordinary shares sold in the Proposed Public Offering, the “Public Shares”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per share (or 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The Company has granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to cover over-allotments, if any. The Sponsor has committed to purchase 300,000 Class A ordinary shares (the “Private Placement Shares”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share (for a total purchase price of $3,000,000) in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.
Initial Business Combination — 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 Placement, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating the Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete the Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete the 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 (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to $10.00 per Class A ordinary share sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds of the Private Placement, will initially be held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, and held as cash or cash items (including in demand deposit accounts) at a bank, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of the Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
F-6
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
1. Description of Business and Operations (cont.)
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of the Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholders meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of the Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.15 per Public Share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note (as defined below) in the applicable Redemption Event (as defined below))). These Public Shares will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity. In such case, the Company will proceed with the Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation of the Business Combination and a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing the Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transactions is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed Business Combination, or if they vote at all. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with the Business Combination, the initial shareholders (as defined below) have agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 4), their Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of the Business Combination (except that any Public Shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), would not be voted in favor of approving the Business Combination). In addition, the initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares, Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares held by the initial shareholders in connection with the completion of the Business Combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles 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 Exchange Act, will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 25% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors (the “initial shareholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles (i) that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete the Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre- business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
Failure to Consummate the Business Combination — If the Company is unable to complete the Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, or until such earlier liquidation date as the Company’s board of directors may approve (the “Combination Period”), unless the Combined Period is extended with the consent of the Company’s shareholders pursuant to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay taxes, divided by the number
F-7
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
1. Description of Business and Operations (cont.)
of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject, in each case, to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
The initial shareholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares and the Private Placement Shares if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial shareholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination within the Combination Period. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than $10.15 (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event). In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a 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 amount of funds in the Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or 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”). Moreover, 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, except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering, 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.
2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
The unaudited financial statements are presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC and reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year or any future period.
Liquidity
In connection with the Company’s going concern considerations as of June 30, 2024, in accordance with the guidance in ASC 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern, the Company does not have sufficient liquidity to meet its current obligations. However, management has determined that the Company has access to funds from the Sponsor, and the Sponsor agrees to make those funds available and has the financial wherewithal, along with an affiliate of the Sponsor, to provide such funds, that are sufficient to fund the working capital needs until the earlier of the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering or a minimum of one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements.
F-8
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
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 auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2022, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and 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. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99, SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5.A, Expenses of Offering. The Company has incurred deferred offering costs in connection with the Proposed Public Offering and recognized $42,672 in deferred offering costs and no deferred offering costs as of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Deferred offering costs incurred through the June 30, 2024 balance sheet date consisted principally of professional and registration fees that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering.
Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method as prescribed under ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to basis differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis.
F-9
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold that a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. The Company provides for uncertain tax positions, based upon management’s assessment of whether a tax benefit is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. Management is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. Because significant assumptions are used in determining whether a tax benefit is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities, actual results may differ from our estimates under different assumptions or conditions. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as provision for income taxes on the statements of operations.
No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of both June 30, 2024 and December 31, 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 is considered an exempted Cayman Islands company and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company recorded no income tax provision for the periods presented.
Net Loss per Ordinary Share
The Company complies with the accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss applicable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the applicable periods, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the initial shareholders. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of 375,000 Class B ordinary shares of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B ordinary shares”), that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 5). As of both June 30, 2024 and December 31, 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 ordinary share is the same as basic loss per ordinary share for the periods presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, approximates the carrying amounts presented in the accompanying balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.
New Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The ASU improves the transparency of income tax disclosures by establishing new income tax disclosure requirements in addition to modifying and eliminating certain existing requirements. Under new guidance, all entities subject to ASC 740 must consistently categorize and provide greater disaggregation of information in the rate reconciliation. They must also further disaggregate income taxes paid. The new guidance will become effective for the Company’s financial statements issued for annual reporting periods beginning on January 1, 2026. The Company will be required to adopt this guidance on a prospective basis with an option to apply it retrospectively for each period presented. Early adoption of the standard is also permitted. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard on the Company’s financial statements.
In March 2024, the FASB issued ASU No. 2024-02, Codification Improvements — Amendments to Remove References to the Concepts Statements. The Conceptual Framework establishes concepts that the FASB considers in developing standards. The ASU was issued to remove references to the Conceptual Framework in the Codification. The FASB noted that references to the Concepts Statements in the Codification could have implied that the Concepts Statements are authoritative. Also, some of the references removed were to Concepts Statements that are superseded.
F-10
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
The new guidance will become effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2026, can be applied either retrospectively to all periods presented or prospectively to all new transactions recognized on or after the adoption date, and early adoption is permitted. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard on the Company’s financial statements.
The Company’s management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
3. Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (plus up to an additional 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) at a price of $10.00 per share.
4. Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
In November 2020, the Sponsor purchased 14,375,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for a purchase price of $25,000. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, the Sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which the Company cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. The Founder Shares will automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination and are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in Note 6.
The initial shareholders have agreed to forfeit up to 375,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriter. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriter so that the Founder Shares will represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering (not including the Private Placement Shares). If the Company increases or decreases the size of the offering, the Company will effect a share dividend or share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering in such amount as to maintain the Founder Share ownership of the Company’s shareholders prior to the Proposed Public Offering at 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering (not including the Private Placement Shares).
The initial shareholders will agree, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of the Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20- trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Private Placement Shares
The Sponsor has agreed to purchase 300,000 Private Placement Shares at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share ($3,000,000 in the aggregate) in the Private Placement.
The proceeds from the Private Placement will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account.
The Sponsor has entered into a letter agreement with the Company pursuant to which it has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to the Private Placement Shares in connection with the completion of the Business Combination or otherwise.
F-11
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
4. Related Party Transactions (cont.)
The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Shares until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination.
Underwriter
The lead underwriter is an affiliate of the Sponsor (see Note 5).
Related Party Loans
On May 27, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Original Note”). On June 12, 2023, the Company entered into an amended and restated Original Note (the “A&R Note”). On May 31, 2024, the Company entered into a second amended and restated Original Note (the “Note”). The Note is non-interest bearing and will be repaid upon the earlier of June 30, 2025 or the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. As of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company had $272,638 and $182,434, respectively, outstanding under the Note.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination after the Proposed Public Offering and prior to the Business Combination, the Sponsor has committed up to $1,750,000 to be provided to the Company to fund the Company’s expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements, including $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services that will be paid to the Sponsor (the “Sponsor Loan”).
If the Sponsor Loan is insufficient to cover the working capital requirements of the Company, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes the 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 the 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 be repaid upon consummation of the Business Combination, without interest. As of both June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
In addition, the Sponsor has agreed to lend the Company up to $1,500,000 pursuant to a promissory note (the “Sponsor Note”) in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, an extension of time for the Company to consummate the Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation (each, a “Redemption Event”), such that an amount equal to $0.15 per Public Share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the Trust Account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The Sponsor Note will not bear interest and will be repaid by the Company at the closing of the Business Combination. If the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination, the Sponsor Note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the Trust Account. The Sponsor has waived any claims against the Trust Account in connection with the Sponsor Note.
Administrative Support Agreement
The Company has agreed to pay $10,000 a month to the Sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Services will commence on the date the Class A ordinary shares are first listed on the Nasdaq and will terminate upon the earlier of the consummation by the Company of the Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company.
F-12
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
5. Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares (only after conversion of such shares to Class A ordinary shares), Private Placement Shares and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion of up to $1,750,000 in working capital loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed on or prior to the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“CF&Co.”), the underwriter and an affiliate of the Sponsor, a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Class A ordinary shares to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriter will be entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per Class A ordinary share, or $2,000,000 in the aggregate, even if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full, payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The Company also engaged a qualified independent underwriter to participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” in respect thereto. The Company will agree to pay the independent underwriter a fee upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in consideration for its services and expenses as the qualified independent underwriter. The independent underwriter will receive no other compensation.
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
The Company has engaged CF&Co. as an advisor in connection with the Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with its shareholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Company’s securities and assist the Company with its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay CF&Co. a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of the Business Combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the base offering and 5.5% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, including any proceeds from the full or partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the military conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East on the financial markets and on the industry, and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the conflict could have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, the close of the Proposed Public Offering, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
6. Shareholder’s Equity
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of both June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. In November 2020, the Company issued 14,375,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor which were the only shares outstanding as of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, the
F-13
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
6. Shareholder’s Equity (cont.)
Sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which the Company cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. Information contained in the financial statements has been retroactively adjusted for this surrender and cancellation. Of these, up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Class B ordinary shares will continue to represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering (not including Private Placement Shares).
Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors and be entitled to vote on continuing the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of the Company approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands).
Other than as described above, holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders except as required by law.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. Class A ordinary shares issued in connection with the conversion of Class B ordinary shares issued prior to the consummation of the Business Combination are subject to the same restrictions as applied to Class B ordinary shares prior to such conversion, including, among other things, certain transfer restrictions, waiver of redemption rights and the obligation to vote in favor of an initial business combination.
In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the Proposed Public Offering and related to the closing of the Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the Business Combination).
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of both June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
7. Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occur after the balance sheet date through July 26, 2024, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. The Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
F-14
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Cantor Equity Partners, Inc. (formerly known as CF Acquisition Corp. A) (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholder’s equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 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 December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Correction of Misstatements
As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the financial statements for the periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 and the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 have been restated to correct certain misstatements.
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 audits 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/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
New York, New York
July 26, 2024
F-15
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
BALANCE SHEETS
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
Assets: |
|
|
|
| ||||
Deferred offering costs | $ | — |
| $ | 190,800 |
| ||
Total Assets | $ | — |
| $ | 190,800 |
| ||
|
|
|
| |||||
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Deficit: |
|
|
|
| ||||
Current liabilities: |
|
|
|
| ||||
Accrued expenses | $ | 112,607 |
| $ | 84,048 |
| ||
Note payable – related party |
| 182,434 |
|
| 148,927 |
| ||
Total Liabilities |
| 295,041 |
|
| 232,975 |
| ||
|
|
|
| |||||
Commitments and Contingencies |
| — |
|
| — |
| ||
|
|
|
| |||||
Shareholder’s Deficit: |
|
|
|
| ||||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
| — |
|
| — |
| ||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
| — |
|
| — |
| ||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 2,875,000 shares issued and outstanding(1) |
| 288 |
|
| 288 |
| ||
Additional paid-in capital |
| 24,712 |
|
| 24,712 |
| ||
Accumulated deficit |
| (320,041 | ) |
| (67,175 | ) | ||
Total Shareholder’s Deficit |
| (295,041 | ) |
| (42,175 | ) | ||
Total Liabilities, Shareholder’s Deficit and Commitments and Contingencies | $ | — |
| $ | 190,800 |
|
____________
(1) Includes up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. The number of shares and the amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in June 2023 and February 2024, respectively (see Note 7).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-16
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (As Restated)
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
General and administrative expenses | $ | 252,866 |
| $ | 6,644 |
| ||
Net loss | $ | (252,866 | ) | $ | (6,644 | ) | ||
|
|
|
| |||||
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1) |
| 2,500,000 |
|
| 2,500,000 |
| ||
|
|
|
| |||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.10 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) |
____________
(1) This number excludes up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. This number has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in June 2023 and February 2024, respectively (see Note 7).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-17
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICIT
For the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (As Restated)
Ordinary Shares | Additional | Accumulated | Total | ||||||||||||||||||
Class A | Class B | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares(1) | Amount(1) | ||||||||||||||||||
Balance – December 31, | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 | $ | 288 | $ | 24,712 | $ | (60,531 | ) | $ | (35,531 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | — |
| — | — |
| — |
| — |
| (6,644 | ) |
| (6,644 | ) | |||||||
Balance – December 31, | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 | $ | 288 | $ | 24,712 | $ | (67,175 | ) | $ | (42,175 | ) | |||||||
Net loss | — |
| — | — |
| — |
| — |
| (252,866 | ) |
| (252,866 | ) | |||||||
Balance – December 31, | — | $ | — | 2,875,000 | $ | 288 | $ | 24,712 | $ | (320,041 | ) | $ | (295,041 | ) |
____________
(1) Includes up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. The number of shares and the amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in June 2023 and February 2024, respectively (see Note 7).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-18
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (As Restated)
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
|
|
| ||||
Net loss | $ | (252,866 | ) | $ | (6,644) | ||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
| ||||
Accrued expenses |
| 252,866 |
|
| 6,644 | ||
Net cash used in operating activities |
| — |
|
| — | ||
|
|
| |||||
Net change in cash |
| — |
|
| — | ||
|
|
| |||||
Cash – beginning of the period |
| — |
|
| — | ||
Cash – end of the period | $ | — |
| $ | — | ||
|
|
| |||||
Supplemental Non-Cash Disclosure |
|
|
| ||||
Change in Deferred offering costs | $ | (190,800 | ) | $ | — | ||
Accrued expenses paid from Note payable – related party | $ | 33,507 |
| $ | 37,972 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-19
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
1. Description of Business and Operations
Description of Business — Cantor Equity Partners, Inc. (the “Company”), formerly known as CF Acquisition Corp. A, was incorporated on November 11, 2020 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).
Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purpose of consummating the Business Combination, the Company intends to focus its search primarily on companies operating in the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries. 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 December 31, 2023, the Company had not yet commenced operations. All activity through December 31, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”) described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of the Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year-end.
The Company’s sponsor is Cantor EP Holdings, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through the Proposed Public Offering (as discussed in Note 4), pursuant to which the Company proposes to issue 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A ordinary shares” and such Class A ordinary shares sold in the Proposed Public Offering, the “Public Shares”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per share (or 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The Company has granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares to cover over-allotments, if any. The Sponsor has committed to purchase 300,000 Class A ordinary shares (the “Private Placement Shares”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share (for a total purchase price of $3,000,000) in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.
Initial Business Combination — 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 Placement, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating the Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete the Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete the 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 (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to $10.00 per Class A ordinary share sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds of the Private Placement, will initially be held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, and held as cash or cash items (including in demand deposit accounts) at a bank, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of the Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of the Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholders meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of the Business Combination or
F-20
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
1. Description of Business and Operations (cont.)
conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.15 per Public Share (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note (as defined below) in the applicable Redemption Event (as defined below))). These Public Shares will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity. In such case, the Company will proceed with the Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation of the Business Combination and a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing the Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transactions is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed Business Combination, or if they vote at all. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with the Business Combination, the initial shareholders (as defined below) have agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 5), their Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of the Business Combination (except that any Public Shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), would not be voted in favor of approving the Business Combination). In addition, the initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares, Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares held by the initial shareholders in connection with the completion of the Business Combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles 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 Exchange Act, will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 25% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors (the “initial shareholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles (i) that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete the Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
Failure to Consummate the Business Combination — If the Company is unable to complete the Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, or until such earlier liquidation date as the Company’s board of directors may approve (the “Combination Period”), unless the Combined Period is extended with the consent of the Company’s shareholders pursuant to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject, in each case, to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
F-21
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
1. Description of Business and Operations (cont.)
The initial shareholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares and the Private Placement Shares if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial shareholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination within the Combination Period. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than $10.15 per share initially held in the Trust Account (inclusive of $0.15 per redeemed share to be funded pursuant to the Sponsor Note in the applicable Redemption Event). In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a 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 amount of funds in the Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or 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”). Moreover, 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, except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering, 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.
2. Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements
In the Company’s previously issued financial statements, the Company reported offering costs related to the ongoing process of completing the Proposed Public Offering. However, upon closer examination of these costs, it was determined that certain costs should not be categorized as offering costs and instead should be expensed in the statement of operations.
The Company assessed the materiality of these corrections on its prior periods’ financial statements in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletins Topic 1.M, Materiality and Topic 1.A, Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements and the guidance in ASC 250, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections. As a result of this assessment, the Company determined that the corrections were material to the previously filed financial statements and concluded it should restate its previously filed financial statements that contained the error as initially included in its Registration Statement on Form S-1 as filed with the SEC on February 3, 2022 and June 27, 2023.
As a result, the Company restated its previously filed financial statements to correctly present the offering costs as of December 31, 2021, March 31, 2022, December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2023 (the “Affected Periods”). The impact of the restatement on the financial statements for the Affected Periods is presented below.
Impact of the Restatement
The following tables summarize the effect of the restatement on financial statement line items for the Affected Periods:
As of December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||
Balance Sheet | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Deferred offering costs | $ | 233,505 |
| $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | 190,800 |
| |||
Total Assets | $ | 233,505 |
| $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | 190,800 |
| |||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (17,826 | ) | $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (60,531 | ) | |||
Total Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | $ | 7,174 |
| $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (35,531 | ) |
F-22
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
2. Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements (cont.)
For the Year Ended December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Operations | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
General and administrative expenses | $ | 17,826 |
| $ | 42,705 |
| $ | 60,531 |
| |||
Net loss | $ | (17,826 | ) | $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (60,531 | ) | |||
Basic and diluted net loss per share(1) | $ | (0.01 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) |
____________
(1) This number excludes up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. This number has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in June 2023 and February 2024, respectively (see Note 7).
For the Year Ended December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Changes in Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (17,826 | ) | $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (60,531 | ) | |||
Total Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | $ | 7,174 |
| $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (35,531 | ) |
For the Year Ended December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Cash Flows | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
Net loss | $ | (17,826 | ) | $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (60,531 | ) | |||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
Accrued expenses | $ | 17,826 |
| $ | 42,705 |
| $ | 60,531 |
| |||
Supplemental Non-cash Disclosure |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
Change in Deferred offering costs | $ | 208,505 |
| $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | 165,800 |
| |||
Deferred offering costs included in Accrued expenses | $ | 97,550 |
| $ | (18,500 | ) | $ | 79,050 |
| |||
Deferred offering costs included in Note payable – related party | $ | 110,955 |
| $ | (24,205 | ) | $ | 86,750 |
| |||
Accrued expenses paid from Note payable – related party | $ | — |
| $ | 24,205 |
| $ | 24,205 |
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Changes in Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (17,826 | ) | $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (60,531 | ) | |||
Total Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | $ | 7,174 |
| $ | (42,705 | ) | $ | (35,531 | ) |
As of December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||
Balance Sheet | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Deferred offering costs | $ | 234,060 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | 190,800 |
| |||
Total Assets | $ | 234,060 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | 190,800 |
| |||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (23,915 | ) | $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (67,175 | ) | |||
Total Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | $ | 1,085 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (42,175 | ) |
F-23
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
2. Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements (cont.)
For the Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Operations | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
General and administrative expenses | $ | 6,089 |
| $ | 555 |
| $ | 6,644 |
| |||
Net loss | $ | (6,089 | ) | $ | (555 | ) | $ | (6,644 | ) | |||
Basic and diluted net loss per share(1) | $ | (0.00 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) |
____________
(1) This number excludes up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. This number has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of the cancellation of 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares in June 2023 and February 2024, respectively (see Note 7).
For the Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Changes in Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (23,915 | ) | $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (67,175 | ) | |||
Total Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | $ | 1,085 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (42,175 | ) |
For the Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Cash Flows | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
Net loss | $ | (6,089 | ) | $ | (555 | ) | $ | (6,644 | ) | |||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
Accrued expenses | $ | 6,089 |
| $ | 555 |
| $ | 6,644 |
| |||
Supplemental Non-cash Disclosure |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
Change in Deferred offering costs | $ | 555 |
| $ | (555 | ) | $ | — |
| |||
Deferred offering costs included in Note payable – related party | $ | 555 |
| $ | (555 | ) | $ | — |
| |||
Accrued expenses paid from Note payable – related party | $ | — |
| $ | 37,972 |
| $ | 37,972 |
|
As of March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||
Balance Sheet | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Deferred offering costs | $ | 234,060 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | 190,800 |
| |||
Total Assets | $ | 234,060 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | 190,800 |
| |||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (24,621 | ) | $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (67,881 | ) | |||
Total Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | $ | 379 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (42,881 | ) |
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||
Statement of Changes in Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | As Previously | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (24,621 | ) | $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (67,881 | ) | |||
Total Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) | $ | 379 |
| $ | (43,260 | ) | $ | (42,881 | ) |
F-24
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
3. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Liquidity
In connection with the Company’s going concern considerations as of December 31, 2023, in accordance with the guidance in ASC 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern, the Company does not have sufficient liquidity to meet its current obligations. However, management has determined that the Company has access to funds from the Sponsor, and the Sponsor agrees to make those funds available and has the financial wherewithal, along with an affiliate of the Sponsor, to provide such funds, that are sufficient to fund the working capital needs until the earlier of the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering or a minimum of one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements.
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 auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2022, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and 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. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
F-25
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
3. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99, SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5.A, Expenses of Offering. The Company has incurred deferred offering costs in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. Deferred offering costs incurred through the December 31, 2022 balance sheet date consisted principally of professional and registration fees that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering.
Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations. There were no deferred offering costs and deferred offering costs of $190,800 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method as prescribed under ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to basis differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold that a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. The Company provides for uncertain tax positions, based upon management’s assessment of whether a tax benefit is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. Management is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. Because significant assumptions are used in determining whether a tax benefit is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities, actual results may differ from our estimates under different assumptions or conditions. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as provision for income taxes on the statements of operations.
No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of both December 31, 2023 and 2022. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
The Company is considered an exempted Cayman Islands company and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company recorded no income tax provision for the periods presented.
Net Loss per Ordinary Share
The Company complies with the accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss applicable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the applicable periods, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the initial shareholders. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of 375,000 Class B ordinary shares of the Company, par value $0.0001 (“Class B ordinary shares”), that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 7). As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, 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 ordinary share is the same as basic loss per ordinary share for the periods presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, approximates the carrying amounts presented in the accompanying balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.
F-26
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
3. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
New Accounting Pronouncement
In December 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The ASU improves the transparency of income tax disclosures by establishing new income tax disclosure requirements in addition to modifying and eliminating certain existing requirements. Under new guidance, all entities subject to ASC 740 must consistently categorize and provide greater disaggregation of information in the rate reconciliation. They must also further disaggregate income taxes paid. The new guidance will become effective for the Company’s financial statements issued for annual reporting periods beginning on January 1, 2026. The Company will be required to adopt this guidance on a prospective basis with an option to apply it retrospectively for each period presented. Early adoption of the standard is also permitted. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard on the Company’s financial statements.
The Company’s management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
4. Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (plus up to an additional 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) at a price of $10.00 per share.
5. Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
In November 2020, the Sponsor purchased 14,375,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for a purchase price of $25,000. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, the Sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which the Company cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. The Founder Shares will automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination and are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in Note 7.
The initial shareholders have agreed to forfeit up to 375,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriter. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriter so that the Founder Shares will represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering (not including the Private Placement Shares). If the Company increases or decreases the size of the offering, the Company will effect a share dividend or share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering in such amount as to maintain the Founder Share ownership of the Company’s shareholders prior to the Proposed Public Offering at 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering (not including the Private Placement Shares).
The initial shareholders will agree, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of the Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20-trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
F-27
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
5. Related Party Transactions (cont.)
Private Placement Shares
The Sponsor has agreed to purchase 300,000 Private Placement Shares at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share ($3,000,000 in the aggregate) in the Private Placement.
The proceeds from the Private Placement will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account.
The Sponsor has entered into a letter agreement with the Company pursuant to which it has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to the Private Placement Shares in connection with the completion of the Business Combination or otherwise.
The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Shares until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination.
Underwriter
The lead underwriter is an affiliate of the Sponsor (see Note 6).
Related Party Loans
On May 27, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Original Note”). On June 12, 2023, the Company entered into an amended and restated Original Note (the “Note”). The Note is non-interest bearing and will be repaid upon the earlier of June 30, 2024 or the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $182,434 and $148,927, respectively, outstanding under the Note.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination after the Proposed Public Offering and prior to the Business Combination, the Sponsor has committed up to $1,750,000 to be provided to the Company to fund the Company’s expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements, including $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services that will be paid to the Sponsor (the “Sponsor Loan”).
If the Sponsor Loan is insufficient to cover the working capital requirements of the Company, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes the 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 the 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 be repaid upon consummation of the Business Combination, without interest. As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
In addition, the Sponsor has agreed to lend the Company up to $1,500,000 pursuant to a promissory note (the “Sponsor Note”) in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, an extension of time for the Company to consummate the Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation (each, a “Redemption Event”), such that an amount equal to $0.15 per Public Share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the Trust Account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The Sponsor Note will not bear interest and will be repaid by the Company at the closing of the Business Combination. If the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination, the Sponsor Note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the Trust Account. The Sponsor has waived any claims against the Trust Account in connection with the Sponsor Note.
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Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
5. Related Party Transactions (cont.)
Administrative Support Agreement
The Company has agreed to pay $10,000 a month to the Sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Services will commence on the date the Class A ordinary shares are first listed on the Nasdaq and will terminate upon the earlier of the consummation by the Company of the Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company.
6. Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares (only after conversion of such shares to Class A ordinary shares), Private Placement Shares and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion of up to $1,750,000 in working capital loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed on or prior to the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“CF&Co.”), the underwriter and an affiliate of the Sponsor, a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Class A ordinary shares to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriter will be entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per Class A ordinary share, or $2,000,000 in the aggregate, even if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full, payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The Company also engaged a qualified independent underwriter to participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” in respect thereto. The Company will agree to pay the independent underwriter a fee upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in consideration for its services and expenses as the qualified independent underwriter. The independent underwriter will receive no other compensation.
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
The Company has engaged CF&Co. as an advisor in connection with the Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with its shareholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Company’s securities and assist the Company with its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay CF&Co. a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of the Business Combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the base offering and 5.5% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, including any proceeds from the full or partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the military conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East on the financial markets and on the industry, and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the conflict could have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, the close of the Proposed Public Offering, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
7. Shareholder’s Equity
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. In November 2020, the Company issued 14,375,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor which were the only shares outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, the Sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which the Company cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. Information contained in the financial statements has been retroactively adjusted for this surrender and cancellation. Of these, up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Class B ordinary shares will continue to represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering (not including Private Placement Shares).
Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors and be entitled to vote on continuing the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of the Company approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands).
Other than as described above, holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders except as required by law.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. Class A ordinary shares issued in connection with the conversion of Class B ordinary shares issued prior to the consummation of the Business Combination are subject to the same restrictions as applied to Class B ordinary shares prior to such conversion, including, among other things, certain transfer restrictions, waiver of redemption rights and the obligation to vote in favor of an initial business combination.
In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the Proposed Public Offering and related to the closing of the Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the Business Combination).
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
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Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
8. Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occur after the balance sheet date through July 26, 2024, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Other than as disclosed below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
On February 21, 2024, the Sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, which were cancelled by the Company, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 6,468,750 shares to 2,875,000 shares. Of these, up to 375,000 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the Company for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part.
On June 25, 2024, the Company changed its name from CF Acquisition Corp. A to Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
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10,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
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PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
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Sole Book-Running Manager
Cantor
Until September 6, 2024 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our Class A ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to its unsold allotments or subscriptions.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.
Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
10,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares
This prospectus has been prepared for and will be used by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., or CF&Co., in connection with offers and sales of our Class A ordinary shares in certain market making transactions effected from time to time for 30 days following the date of this prospectus. These transactions may occur in the open market or may be privately negotiated at prevailing market prices at the time of sales, at prices related thereto or at negotiated prices. We will not receive any proceeds of such transactions. CF&Co. has no obligation to make a market in our Class A ordinary shares, and may discontinue such activities at any time without notice, at its sole discretion. All such transactions with respect to our Class A ordinary shares that are made pursuant to a prospectus after the date of this prospectus are being made solely pursuant to this prospectus, as it may be supplemented from time to time.
Our Class A ordinary shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “CEP.” We expect that our Class A ordinary shares will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market on or promptly after the date of this prospectus.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 33 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 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.
Cantor
August 12, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 86 | |
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121 | ||
132 | ||
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We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and CF&Co. is not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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The Offering
In deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.” Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, references to “this offering” refer to our initial public offering.
Proposed Nasdaq symbol | “CEP” | |
Trading commencement | The Class A ordinary shares will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. | |
Appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company outside of the Cayman Islands; Voting Rights |
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Founder shares | In November 2020, our sponsor purchased 14,375,000 founder shares for a purchase price of $25,000. On June 8, 2023 and February 21, 2024, our sponsor surrendered, for no consideration, 7,906,250 and 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, which we cancelled, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 14,375,000 shares to 2,875,000 shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after our initial public offering (not including the private placement shares). As such, after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in this offering), the founder shares will represent 20% of our issued and outstanding shares (not including the private placement shares) and our initial shareholders, through their ownership of the founder shares and the private placement shares, will collectively own 21.9% of our issued and outstanding shares. Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any Class A ordinary shares in our initial public offering. Up to 375,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised so that the founder shares |
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will continue to represent 20% of our ordinary shares after this offering (not including the private placement shares). The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares being sold in our initial public offering, except that: • only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors and on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (as further described herein), prior to the consummation of our initial business combination; • the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into non-redeemable Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; • 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 to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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. • pursuant to a letter agreement with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, subject to applicable securities laws, to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, |
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our initial shareholders and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares (whether in person or by proxy). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 3,600,001, or 36.0%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted at the meeting) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming in each case the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company; and • the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. | ||
Transfer restrictions on |
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Founder shares conversion and |
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Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon the completion of our initial public offering (not including the private placement shares) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination). | ||
The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities. | ||
Private placement shares | Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 300,000 private placement shares, at a price of $10.00 per share ($3,000,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering. The private placement shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in our initial public offering, except (i) they are subject to lock-up as described herein and (ii) holders of such shares will be entitled to certain registration rights. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement shares will be added to the proceeds from our initial public offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account ($10.00 per public share in either case). If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement shares held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law). | |
Transfer restrictions on private placement shares |
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Proceeds to be held in trust account | Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement shares must be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $10.00 per share in either case, will be placed into a trust account in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement shares will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) 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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, and |
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(c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, 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. | ||
Sponsor note | Our sponsor has also agreed to lend us up to $1,500,000 pursuant to the sponsor note in connection with each Redemption Event such that an amount equal to $0.15 per public share being redeemed in connection with the applicable Redemption Event will be added to the trust account and paid to the holders of the applicable redeemed shares on such Redemption Event. The sponsor note will not bear interest and will be repaid by us at the closing of our initial business combination. If a business combination is not consummated, the sponsor note would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the trust account. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor note. | |
Ability to extend time to complete business combination |
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Anticipated expenses and funding sources |
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The holding of the assets in the trust account in any permitted investments is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk may increase the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations, money market funds, a combination thereof or are in cash or demand deposit |
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accounts at a bank. Additionally, when we determine to hold the funds in the trust account as cash or in demand deposit accounts at a bank, the amount of interest we may receive would likely be less than if we were investing the funds in permitted investments. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: | ||
• the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement shares not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $250,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $750,000 in expenses relating to our initial public offering; • the proceeds of the $1,750,000 loan commitment made by our sponsor for working capital needs; and | ||
• any additional loans or investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance additional funds or invest in us, and provided that any such loans (i) will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of an initial business combination and (ii) will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering. | ||
Conditions to completing our initial business combination |
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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way 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, or (ii) in such a way so 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, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described below. However, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the initial business combination may |
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collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable. | ||
Permitted purchases of public shares by our affiliates |
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We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination. See “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our shares” for a description of how our initial shareholders, directors, officers or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase Class A ordinary shares in any private transaction. |
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Additionally, in the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers 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 to the extent such Rule is applicable 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; • if our initial shareholders, directors, officers or 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 initial business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our shares purchased by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; • our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would either not possess any redemption rights with respect to our shares or they would waive such rights; and • we would disclose in a Form 8-K filed prior to our shareholders meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following items, to the extent material: • the amount of our shares purchased outside of the redemption offer by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates, along with the average purchase price; • the purpose of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates; • the impact, if any, of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved at the shareholders meeting; • the identities of our shareholders who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our shareholders (e.g., 5% shareholders) who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or their affiliates; and • the number of our shares for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer as of a date shortly prior to the filing date of the Form 8-K. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to reduce the number of shares being submitted for redemption 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. Any such purchases of our Class A ordinary shares may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our Class A ordinary shares may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq. |
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Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination |
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We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the 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. 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. | ||
Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and stock or share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by applicable 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 Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules. |
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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 under 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 under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. | ||
Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. | ||
Whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above. 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 Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. | ||
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions 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 applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, 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 under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and | ||
• file proxy materials with the SEC. |
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If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders of a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares (whether in person or by proxy). Our initial shareholders will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 3,600,001, or 36.0%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted at the meeting) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming in each case the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company. We intend to give prior written notice of any such meeting as is required by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, or if they vote at all. We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares. |
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Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial 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 initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. | ||
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 25% of the shares sold in our initial public offering if we hold a shareholder vote |
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Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our memorandum and articles of association |
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provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting. In all other instances, other than with respect the right of only our holders of Class B ordinary shares to vote for directors prior to our initial business combination, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders, which consists of the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting, subject to applicable provisions of Cayman Islands law or applicable stock exchange rules. Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we may not issue additional securities that can vote with ordinary shareholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or on our initial business combination, or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 21.9% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of our initial public offering (assuming they do not purchase any Class A ordinary shares in our initial public offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. 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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption as described in this prospectus or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (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 any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. | ||
Release of funds in trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination |
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Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares or private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after our initial public 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 time period. | ||
Limited payments to insiders | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, non-cash payments, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of our initial public offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: | |
• Repayment of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor, which our sponsor has committed to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; • Repayment of the $1,750,000 loan commitment made by our sponsor for working capital; • Repayment of the sponsor note in an amount up to $1,500,000; | ||
• Payment to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month; | ||
• We will pay cash fees to our independent directors of $50,000 per year, payable quarterly; |
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• Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; | ||
• Repayment of any additional 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, which will be convertible at the sponsor’s option into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price of $10.00 per share no earlier than 60 days after the date of this offering, and the other terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto; and | ||
• Payment to CF&Co. of its underwriting discount, Marketing Fee, fees for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking services CF&Co. may provide to us in the future, including in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, and reimbursement of CF&Co. for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services. | ||
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 | We have established and will maintain an audit committee, which will initially be composed of three directors, including our independent directors, to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to our initial public 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 our initial public offering. We intend to appoint additional independent director(s) to our audit committee to replace our non-independent member(s) during the one year period following this offering pursuant to the Nasdaq phase-in provisions for initial public offerings. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” | |
Conflicts of Interest | We, our sponsor and CF&Co. are controlled by Cantor Fitzgerald L.P., or Cantor. CF Group Management, Inc. (“CFGM”) is the managing general partner of Cantor and Howard W. Lutnick, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CFGM and the trustee of CFGM’s sole stockholder. Therefore, we are deemed to be an affiliate of CF&Co., a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or FINRA. As a result, CF&Co. is deemed to have a “conflict of interest” under Rule 5121(f)(5) of the Conduct Rules of FINRA. Accordingly, our initial public offering will be made in compliance with Rule 5121 of FINRA’s Conduct Rules, which prohibits CF&Co. from making sales to discretionary accounts without the prior written approval of the account holder and requires that a “qualified independent underwriter,” as defined by FINRA participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standard of due diligence with respect to such document. We have engaged Odeon Capital Group LLC, or Odeon, to be the qualified independent underwriter and participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” in respect thereto. We agreed to pay Odeon a fee of $100,000 upon the completion of our initial public offering in consideration for its services and expenses as the qualified independent underwriter. Odeon will receive no other compensation. |
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All of our officers are employed by Cantor or its affiliates. Cantor is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Cantor will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Cantor may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Cantor may decide to share with us. In addition, our officers and directors may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to other entities to which they owe duties or clients of affiliates of our sponsor. | ||
As a result, affiliates of our sponsor and their respective clients may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. If any of them decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunity. In addition, investment ideas generated within Cantor, including by any of our officers and other persons who may make decisions for the company, may be suitable both for us and for affiliates of our sponsor or any of their respective clients, and will be directed initially to such persons rather than to us. None of Cantor nor members of our management team who are also employed by Cantor or any of its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware unless it is offered to them solely in their capacity as a director or officer of the Company and after they have satisfied their contractual and fiduciary obligations to other parties. | ||
Our sponsor, officers and directors, Cantor and their affiliates may sponsor, form or participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company or may pursue other business or investment ventures, even prior to us entering into a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of the Active Cantor SPAC, which is focused on searching for businesses in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. The Active Cantor SPAC may compete with us for business combination opportunities. If the Active Cantor SPAC decides to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunity. | ||
As described herein, 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, including the Active Cantor SPAC or to clients of Cantor or other affiliates of our sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For example, a business combination opportunity may be suitable for the Active Cantor SPAC and us and our officers and directors who are officers and directors of the Active Cantor SPAC may, subject |
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to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, choose to direct such opportunity to the Active Cantor SPAC before presenting it to us, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities and could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor and our directors and officers, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a wide range of industries, as well as the experiences of certain of our directors and officers and affiliates of our sponsor with the Prior Cantor SPACs, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. | ||
Conflicts may arise from Cantor’s affiliation with us, their or their affiliates provision of services both to us, the Active Cantor SPAC, if applicable, and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by Cantor for its own account. CF&Co. is often engaged as a financial advisor, or placement agent, to corporations and other entities and their directors and managers in connection with the sale of those entities, their assets or their subsidiaries. Alternatively, CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, may be a financial advisor to a target business that we pursue a business combination with and CF&Co., or another affiliate of our sponsor, may receive fees from the target business in connection with a business combination. CF&Co. also represents potential buyer’s businesses and may be incentivized or obligated to direct an opportunity to one of these buyers in lieu of us, thereby eliminating or reducing the investment opportunity available to us. For example, CF&Co. is engaged by the Active Cantor SPAC in connection with the marketing of a business combination by the Active Cantor SPAC. CF&Co. may be engaged from time to time by the Active Cantor SPAC to provide financial advisory and placement agency services in connection with such business combination. | ||
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with the Active Cantor SPAC. This would only occur, though, if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and our sponsor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition could involve a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination. | ||
The low price that our sponsor paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our sponsor 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 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier or later liquidation date as our board of directors or shareholders may approve, the founder shares and private placement shares may be worthless, except to the extent the holders thereof receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor and our executive officers and directors who have an ownership interest in or are employed by Cantor to complete a transaction, even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. | ||
For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” |
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Indemnity | Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us (except for our independent auditors and underwriters of this offering), or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the redemption amount to below the lesser of (i) the sum of (A) $10.00 per public share and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the funding of the Sponsor Note in connection with a Redemption Event and (ii) the sum of (A) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less interest released to pay taxes, and (B) $0.15 per redeemed public share pursuant to the Sponsor Note, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. |
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This prospectus is delivered in connection with the offer and sale of our Class A ordinary shares by CF&Co. in certain market making transactions. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these transactions.
This prospectus has been prepared for use by CF&Co. in connection with offers and sales of our Class A ordinary shares in certain market making transactions effected from time to time for 30 days following the date of this prospectus. CF&Co. may act as a principal in these transactions. These sales will be made at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related thereto or at negotiated prices. We will not receive any of the proceeds of these transactions.
Our sponsor, an affiliate of CF&Co., owns 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares and has also committed to purchase 300,000 private placement shares for a purchase price of $3,000,000 (or $10.00 per share), which will represent 21.9% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the aggregate following consummation of this offering. Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of our initial public offering. In addition, our sponsor has made a $1,750,000 loan commitment to us on a non-interest bearing basis to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements.
We agreed to file a “market making” prospectus in order to allow CF&Co. to engage in market making activities for our Class A ordinary shares for 30 days following the date of this prospectus. CF&Co. acted as a lead underwriter in our recently completed initial public offering of Class A ordinary shares. Purchases and sales in the open market by CF&Co. may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over- allotment option and stabilizing purchases, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own account, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. They may also cause the price of our Class A ordinary shares to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, it may discontinue them at any time.
We have been advised by CF&Co. that, following the pricing of our initial public offering, it currently intends to engage in market making transactions for our Class A ordinary shares as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, CF&Co. is not obligated to do so and CF&Co. may discontinue its market making activities at any time without notice. In addition, such market making activity will be subject to the limits imposed by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for our Class A ordinary shares, that you will be able to sell any of our Class A ordinary shares held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable. See “Risk Factors — There is currently no market for our Class A ordinary shares and a market for our Class A ordinary shares may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our Class A ordinary shares.”
We have agreed to indemnify CF&Co. and other underwriters in our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments CF&Co. may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
Except as described under the section titled “Business Combination Marketing Agreement” below, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage CF&Co. to provide any services for us after our initial public offering. However, CF&Co. may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If CF&Co. provides services to us in the future, we may pay CF&Co. 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 CF&Co. and no fees for such services will be paid to CF&Co. prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with our initial public offering and we may pay the underwriters of our initial public offering or any entity with which it is affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of an initial business combination.
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CF&Co. and its affiliates may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, for which it may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for any such transactions.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, CF&Co. and its 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. CF&Co. and its 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.
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
We have engaged CF&Co. as an advisor in connection with our business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our shareholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay CF&Co. a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the base offering and 5.5% of the gross proceeds from the full or partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. As a result, CF&Co. will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination.
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Cantor Equity Partners, Inc.
10,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares
August 12, 2024
Cantor
Until September 6, 2024 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our Class A ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to its unsold allotments or subscriptions.