SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 1, 2021
PROXY STATEMENT FOR EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF BROADSTONE
ACQUISITION CORP.
PROSPECTUS FOR
38,162,876 ORDINARY SHARES AND
15,265,150 WARRANTS TO PURCHASE ORDINARY SHARES,
IN EACH CASE, OF VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD.
The board of directors of Broadstone Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Broadstone”) has unanimously approved the Business Combination Agreement, dated as of June 10, 2021, as it may be amended (the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among Broadstone, Vertical Aerospace Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Pubco”), Vertical Merger Sub Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Pubco (“Merger Sub”), Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd., a private limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales (“Vertical”) and the shareholders of Vertical party thereto (the “Vertical Shareholders”), which, among other things, provides for (i) the Merger of Merger Sub with Broadstone, with Broadstone surviving the Merger and the shareholders of Broadstone becoming shareholders of Pubco, (ii) upon the effectiveness of such Merger, the transfer of 100% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Vertical by the Vertical Shareholders for Pubco Ordinary Shares (collectively, the “Business Combination”) and (iii) the adoption of Pubco’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. As a result of and upon consummation of the Business Combination, each of Broadstone and Vertical will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Pubco, as described in this proxy statement/prospectus, and Pubco will become a new public company owned by the prior shareholders of Broadstone and the prior shareholders of Vertical.
Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, upon the consummation of the Business Combination (i) each outstanding private warrant of Broadstone will be surrendered for nil consideration and cancelled; (ii) each outstanding Class A ordinary share of Broadstone will be converted into one Pubco Ordinary Share; (iii) each outstanding public warrant of Broadstone will be converted into one warrant of Pubco that entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Pubco Ordinary Share in lieu of one ordinary share of Broadstone and otherwise upon substantially the same terms and conditions; (iv) each outstanding Class B ordinary share of Broadstone will be transferred to Pubco in consideration for one Pubco Ordinary Share; and (v) 100% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Vertical will be transferred to Pubco in consideration for ordinary shares of Pubco. Accordingly, this proxy statement/prospectus covers the issuance by Pubco of an aggregate of 38,162,876 Pubco Ordinary Shares, 15,265,150 warrants and 15,265,150 Pubco Ordinary Shares, issuable upon exercise of warrants.
As a result of the Business Combination, Pubco will become a new public company, and each of Broadstone and Vertical will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pubco. The former shareholders of Broadstone and Vertical will become shareholders of Pubco.
In connection with the foregoing and concurrently with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, Pubco and Broadstone entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors (the “PIPE Investors”) pursuant to which the PIPE Investors agreed to subscribe for and purchase, and Pubco agreed to issue and sell to such PIPE Investors, an aggregate of 9,400,000 Pubco Ordinary Shares at $10.00 per share for gross proceeds of $94,000,000 (the “PIPE Financing”) on the date of Closing. The Pubco Ordinary Shares to be issued under the Subscription Agreements are being issued in private placement transactions pursuant to an exemption from registration requirements of the Securities Act and have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Pubco will grant the PIPE Investors certain registration rights in connection with the PIPE Financing. The PIPE Financing is contingent upon, among other things, the closing of the Business Combination.
In addition, Pubco entered into a subscription agreement dated October 26, 2021 (the “Convertible Senior Secured Notes Subscription Agreement”) with a certain third-party investor (the “Convertible Senior Secured Notes Investor”), pursuant to which such investor has agreed to purchase $200 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior secured notes, which will bear interest at a rate of 7.00% per annum for cash interest or 9.00% per annum paid-in-kind, selected at the option of the Company, will be paid semi-annually and will be convertible for Pubco ordinary shares (the “Convertible Senior Secured Notes”). In connection with the execution of the Convertible Senior Secured Notes Subscription Agreement, Pubco agreed to issue 4,000,000 warrants which will be exercisable for one Pubco Ordinary Share each, with an exercise price of $11.50 per Pubco Ordinary Share. (the “Convertible Notes Warrants”), to the Convertible Senior Secured Notes Investor immediately after Closing. The offering of the Convertible Senior Secured Notes and Convertible Notes Warrants is conditioned upon and expected to close concurrently with the closing of the Business Combination.
As a result of the Business Combination, assuming that no shareholders of Broadstone elect to redeem their Class A ordinary shares of Broadstone issued as part of the Units sold in Broadstone’s initial public offering (“Public Shares”) for cash in connection therewith as permitted by Broadstone’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Vertical Shareholders (including individuals that receive Pubco Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Vertical Options) and the former Broadstone shareholders will own approximately 73.65% and 13.33%, respectively, of the Ordinary Shares of Pubco to be outstanding immediately after the Business Combination, provided that such numbers exclude the Earn Out Shares and the Pubco Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Senior Secured Notes and include the Pubco Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Vertical Options. If 15,430,301 of Broadstone Class A ordinary shares (the maximum number of Broadstone Class A ordinary shares that can be redeemed while still maintaining the $245 million Closing Cash in order to consummate the Business Combination) are converted into cash, such percentages will be approximately 78.97% and 7.07%, respectively.
Under the Business Combination Agreement, the closing of the Business Combination and the transactions contemplated therein is subject to a number of conditions, including (i) that Broadstone shareholders approve the Business Combination Proposal and (ii) Broadstone and Pubco having at least $245 million of cash either in or outside of the Trust Account (as defined herein), after taking into accounts payments by Broadstone to Broadstone public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights, as described herein, and any proceeds received by Pubco from the PIPE Financing. If any of the conditions to Broadstone’s, Pubco’s or Vertical’s obligation to consummate the Business Combination or any of the transactions contemplated therein are not satisfied, then the parties to the Business Combination Agreement will not be required to consummate the Business Combination and any of the transactions contemplated therein.
Proposals to approve the Business Combination Agreement and the other matters discussed in this proxy statement/prospectus will be presented at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Broadstone scheduled to be held on , 2021. In connection with the shareholder vote to approve the Business Combination, the Sponsor or Broadstone's directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from shareholders who would have otherwise elected to have their shares redeemed in connection with the Business Combination. The purpose of any such purchase could be to vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the Business Combination.
Broadstone’s units, ordinary shares and warrants are currently listed on The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbols “BSN,” “BSN-UN” and “BSN-WT,” respectively. Pubco will apply for listing, to be effective at the time of the Business Combination, of its ordinary shares and warrants on the NYSE under the symbols, “EVTL” and “EVTLW,” respectively. Pubco will not have units traded following consummation of the Business Combination.
Each of Broadstone and Pubco is an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and has elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.
Pubco is also a “foreign private issuer,” as defined in the Exchange Act, and will be exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act that impose certain disclosure obligations and procedural requirements for proxy solicitations under Section 14 of the Exchange Act. In addition, Pubco’s officers, directors and principal shareholders will be exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions under Section 16 of the Exchange Act. Moreover, Pubco will not be required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. Pubco is also a “controlled company” under the corporate governance rules of the NYSE. See “Management of Pubco Following the Business Combination—Controlled Company Exemption.”
This proxy statement/prospectus provides you with detailed information about the Proposed Transactions and other matters to be considered at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Broadstone. We encourage you to carefully read this entire document and the documents incorporated by reference.
You should also carefully consider the risk factors described in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 59 of the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus. Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities regulatory agency has approved or disapproved the transactions described in this proxy statement/prospectus or any of the securities to be issued in the Proposed Transactions described in this proxy statement/prospectus, passed upon the merits or fairness of the Proposed Transactions described in this proxy statement/prospectus or related transactions or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in this proxy statement/prospectus. Any representation to the contrary constitutes a criminal offense.
This proxy statement/prospectus is dated , 2021, and is first being mailed to Broadstone shareholders on or about , 2021.