PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 22, 2022
$100,000,000
Monterey Capital Acquisition Corporation
10,000,000 Units
Monterey Capital Acquisition Corporation is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry, or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on businesses in the clean transition sector. We shall not undertake our initial business combination with any entity with its principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock, one redeemable warrant and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of our Class A common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus. Each redeemable warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein, and each ten rights entitle the holder thereof to receive one share of our Class A common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination. We will not issue fractional shares in connection with the exchange of rights. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of 10 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon consummation of our initial business combination. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock 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 described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding shares of Class A common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to throughout this prospectus collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to extend the period of time to consummate our business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time, at $0.10 per extension, for a total of $0.20 aggregate in trust, within 18 months (the “extension option”), from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. In the event we decide to exercise the extension option, investors will not have voting rights nor redemption rights in connection with such additional three-month extensions.
Our sponsor, Monterrey Acquisition Sponsor, LLC, has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 3,200,000 placement warrants (or 3,500,000 placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $3,200,000 ($3,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each placement warrant will be identical to the warrants sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. The placement warrants will be sold in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
Our sponsor owns an aggregate of 2,875,000 shares of our Class B common stock (up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein.
Up to ten qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors which are not affiliated with us, our sponsor, our directors or any member of our management, and which we refer to as the anchor investors throughout this prospectus, have each expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to 990,000 units in this offering at the offering price of $10.00, and such allocations will be determined by the underwriters. The anchor investors as a group may purchase no more than 9,900,000 units in the aggregate (or 11,385,000 units in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), up to 99.0% of the units issued in this offering. Such amounts will be allocated among the anchor investors proportionally based on their expression of interest. We expect that the number of units the anchor investors will purchase would, in general, be increased or decreased proportionately in the event the number of units offered hereby is increased or decreased, respectively. There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. There is also no guarantee that all ten anchor investors will participate in the offering. Subject to each anchor investor purchasing 100% of the units allocated to it, in connection with the closing of this offering our sponsor will sell 75,000 founder shares to each anchor investor at their original purchase price of approximately $0.009. If the anchor investors purchase all of the units which may be allocated to them, the substantial majority of units purchased in this offering will be held by the anchor investors and these investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders, as further discussed in this prospectus. The anchor investors will also have the potential to realize enhanced economic returns and overall economic outcome from their investment in us in comparison to our other public shareholders who are not making anchor investments and purchasing founder shares. Since our sponsor is transferring founder shares held by it to the anchor investors and we are not issuing any new shares, there will be no dilutive impact on the other investors in this offering. However, if the anchor investors purchase all of the units which may be allocated to them, such purchases would reduce the available public float for our securities. Any such reduction in our available public float may consequently reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities relative to what they would have been had such units been purchased by public investors and could result in our securities being delisted from The Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with the anchor investors, see “Summary — The Offering — Expressions of Interest.”
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock, rights or warrants. We have applied to list our units on Nasdaq under the symbol “MCACU.” We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the Class A common stock, rights and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd business day following the date of this prospectus unless EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, or EF Hutton, the representative of the underwriters, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock, rights and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “MCAC,” “MCACR,” and “MCACW,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 41 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. 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.
| | | Per Unit | | | Total | |
Public offering price | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | $ | 100,000,000 | | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | | | | $ | 0.50 | | | | | $ | 5,000,000 | | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to Monterey Capital Acquisition Corporation | | | | $ | 9.50 | | | | | $ | 95,000,000 | | |
(1)
Includes $0.40 per unit, or $4,000,000 (or $4,600,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the representative of the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. In addition, we will issue EF Hutton and/or its designees 150,000 shares of Class A common stock (172,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), which we refer to herein as the “representative shares” as underwriter compensation in connection with this offering. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” beginning on page 175 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 placement warrants described in this prospectus, $101,000,000 or $116,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.10 per unit in either case) will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acting as investment manager.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2022.
EF HUTTON
division of Benchmark Investments, LLC
, 2022