Exhibit 1.2
 | Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. | |||
| 85 Broad Street 25th Floor | ||||
| New York, NY 10004 | ||||
| Phone 212-668-8000 | ||||
| Transacts Business on All Principal Exchanges | ||||
February 24, 2022
GSR II Meteora Acquisition Corp.
840 Park Drive
Boca Raton, Florida 33432
Attn: Joseph Tonnos
Dear Mr. Tonnos:
This is to confirm our agreement whereby GSR II Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Company”), has requested Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (the “Advisor”) to assist it in connection with the Company merging with, acquiring shares of, engaging in a share exchange, share reconstruction, recapitalization and amalgamation, purchasing all or substantially all of the assets of, entering into contractual arrangements, or engaging in any other similar business combination (in each case, a “Business Combination”) with one or more businesses or entities (each a “Target”) as described in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-261965) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Registration Statement”) in connection with its initial public offering (“IPO”).
1. Services and Fees.
(a) The Advisor will:
| (i) | Hold meetings with Company shareholders to discuss the Business Combination and the Target’s attributes; |
| (ii) | Introduce the Company to potential investors to purchase the Company’s securities in connection with the Business Combination; and |
| (iii) | Assist the Company with any press releases, financial analyses, presentations and filings related to the Business Combination or the Target. |
(b) As compensation for the foregoing services, the Company will pay the Advisor a cash fee equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds received by the Company in the IPO (“Transaction Fee”). At your discretion, up to $0.105 per unit may instead be paid to advisors that did not participate in the IPO but assist you with the Business Combination. The Transaction Fee is due and payable in cash to the Advisor by wire transfer at the closing of the Business Combination (“Closing”). If a proposed Business Combination is not consummated for any reason, no Transaction Fee shall be due or payable to the Advisor hereunder.
2. Expenses.
At the Closing, the Company shall reimburse the Advisor for all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by the Advisor (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) in connection with the performance of its services hereunder. Reimbursable expenses shall be due and payable to the Advisor by wire transfer at the Closing from the Trust Account.
3. Company Cooperation.
The Company will provide full cooperation to the Advisor as may be necessary for the efficient performance by the Advisor of its obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, providing to the Advisor and its counsel, on a timely basis, all documents and information regarding the Company and Target that the Advisor may reasonably request or that are otherwise relevant to the Advisor’s performance of its obligations hereunder (collectively, the “Information”); making the Company’s management, auditors, consultants and advisors available to the Advisor; and, using commercially reasonable efforts to provide the Advisor with reasonable access to the management, auditors, suppliers, customers, consultants and advisors of Target. The Company will promptly notify the Advisor of any change in facts or circumstances or new developments affecting the Company or Target or that might reasonably be considered material to the Advisor’s engagement hereunder.
4. Representations; Warranties and Covenants.
The Company represents, warrants and covenants to the Advisor that all Information it makes available to the Advisor by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of the date thereof and as of the consummation of the Business Combination.
5. Indemnity.
The Company shall indemnify the Advisor and its affiliates and its and their respective directors, officers, employees, shareholders, representatives and agents in accordance with the indemnification provisions set forth in Annex A hereto, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Notwithstanding the foregoing and Annex A, the Advisor agrees, if there is no Closing, (i) that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Company’s trust account (“Trust Account”) established in connection with the IPO with respect to the foregoing indemnity (each, a “Claim”); (ii) to waive any Claim it may have in the future; and (iii) to not seek recourse against the Trust Account with respect to any Claim.
6. Use of Name and Reports.
Without the Advisor’s prior written consent, neither the Company nor any of its affiliates (nor any director, officer, manager, partner, member, employee, representative or agent thereof) shall quote or refer to (i) the Advisor’s name or (ii) any advice rendered by the Advisor to the Company or any communication from the Advisor in connection with performance of their services hereunder, except as required by applicable federal or state law, regulation or securities exchange rule. The Advisor hereby consents to the use of the Advisor’s name and a description of this Agreement, including a general description of the services to be provided by the Advisor hereunder and the Fee, in the Registration Statement and the preliminary and final prospectus included as a part of the Registration Statement, the Company’s registration statement filed pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Company’s current reports on Form 8-K filed in connection with the IPO, the Company’s periodic reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and any proxy statement, prospectus, or tender offer materials prepared by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the Business Combination.
7. Status as Independent Contractor.
The Advisor shall perform its services as an independent contractor and not as an employee of the Company or affiliate thereof. It is expressly understood and agreed to by the parties that the Advisor shall have no authority to act for, represent or bind the Company or any affiliate thereof in any manner, except as may be expressly agreed to by the Company in writing. In rendering such services, the Advisor will be acting solely pursuant to a contractual relationship on an arm’s-length basis. This Agreement is not intended to create a fiduciary relationship between the parties and neither the Advisor nor any of the Advisor’s officers, directors or personnel will owe any fiduciary duty to the Company or any other person in connection with any of the matters contemplated by this Agreement.
8. Potential Conflicts.
The Company acknowledges that the Advisor is a full-service securities firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities and providing investment banking and advisory services from which conflicting interests may arise. In the ordinary course of business, the Advisor and its affiliates may at any time hold long or short positions, and may trade or otherwise effect transactions, for their own account or the accounts of customers, in debt or equity securities of the Company, its affiliates or other entities that may be involved in the transactions contemplated hereby. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit or restrict the Advisor or any of its affiliates in conducting such business.
9. Entire Agreement.
This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, with respect thereto. This Agreement may not be modified or terminated orally or in any manner other than by an agreement in writing signed by the parties hereto.
10. Notices.
Any notices required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given when mailed by certified mail or private courier service, return receipt requested, addressed to each party at its respective addresses set forth above, or such other address as may be given by a party in a notice given pursuant to this Section.
11. Successors and Assigns.
This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the written consent of the other. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and, except where prohibited, to their successors and assigns.
12. Non-Exclusivity.
Nothing herein shall be deemed to restrict or prohibit the engagement by the Company of other consultants providing the same or similar services or the payment by the Company of fees to such other consultants. The Company’s engagement of any other consultant(s) shall not affect the Advisor’s right to receive the Fee and reimbursement of expenses pursuant to this Agreement.
13. Applicable Law; Venue.
This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to conflict of laws. In the event of any dispute under this Agreement, each party agrees that the dispute shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York, County of New York under the accelerated adjudication procedures of the Commercial Division, or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, in each event at the discretion of the party initiating the dispute. Once a party files a dispute with one of the above forums, the parties agree that all issues regarding such dispute or this Agreement must be resolved before such forum rather than seeking to resolve it through another forum set forth above. Each party irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. Each party hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon a party may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such party at the address set forth at the beginning of this Agreement. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the party being served in any action, proceeding or claim. The parties agree that the prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor.
14. Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Advisor and the Company with respect to the foregoing, please so indicate your agreement by signing in the place provided below, at which time this letter shall become a binding contract.
| Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. | ||
| By: | /s/ Peter Bennett | |
| Name: | Peter Bennett | |
| Title: | Managing Director | |
| AGREED AND ACCEPTED BY: | ||
| GSR II ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | /s/ Joseph Tonnos | |
| Name: | Joseph Tonnos | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
[Signature Page to Business Combination Marketing Agreement]
ANNEX A
The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Oppenheimer and its affiliates and their respective present and former directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons (each such person, including Oppenheimer, an “Indemnified Party”) from and against any losses, claims, damages and liabilities, joint or several (collectively, “Damages”), to which such Indemnified Party may become subject in connection with, relating to or arising from any transaction contemplated by this Agreement or the engagement of or performance of services by an Indemnified Party hereunder, and will reimburse each Indemnified Party for all out-of-pocket fees and expenses (“Expenses”), including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel, as they are incurred in connection with investigating, preparing, pursuing or defending any threatened or pending subpoena, claim, action, proceeding or investigation (“Proceedings”) arising therefrom, whether or not any Indemnified Party is a formal party to such Proceeding; provided, that the Company will not be liable to any Indemnified Party to the extent that any Damages are found in a final non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted solely from the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Indemnified Party. No Indemnified Party will have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract, tort or otherwise) to the Company or any person asserting claims on behalf of the Company arising out of or in connection with any transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the engagement of or performance of services by any Indemnified Party hereunder except to the extent that the Company incurs Damages that are found in a final non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted solely from the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Indemnified Party.
If for any reason other than in accordance with the previous paragraph of this Annex A, the foregoing indemnity is unavailable to an Indemnified Party or insufficient to hold an Indemnified Party harmless, then the Company will contribute to the amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Party for Damages and Expenses related thereto in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits to the Company and/or its stockholders on the one hand, and Oppenheimer on the other hand, in connection with the matters covered by this Agreement or, if the foregoing allocation is not permitted by applicable law, not only such relative benefits but also the relative faults of such parties as well as any relevant equitable considerations. The Company agrees that for purposes of this paragraph the relative benefits to the Company and/or its stockholders and Oppenheimer in connection with the matters covered by this Agreement will be deemed to be in the same proportion that the total value paid or received or to be paid or received by the Company and/or its stockholders in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, whether or not consummated, bears to the fees paid to Oppenheimer under this Agreement; provided, that in no event will the total contribution of all Indemnified Parties to all such Damages and Expenses exceed the amount of fees actually received and retained by Oppenheimer under this Agreement (excluding any amounts received by Oppenheimer as reimbursement of expenses). Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any alleged untrue statement or omission or any alleged conduct relates to information provided by the Company or other conduct by the Company (or its employees or other agents) on the one hand, or by Oppenheimer, on the other hand.
No Indemnified Party will agree to settle any Proceeding and seek indemnification or reimbursement hereunder unless such Indemnified Party obtained the Company’s consent (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld) to such settlement. The Company agrees not to enter into any waiver, release or settlement of any Proceeding (whether or not any Indemnified Party is a party thereto) in respect of which indemnification may be sought hereunder without the prior written consent of Oppenheimer (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld), unless such waiver, release or settlement (i) includes an unconditional release of each Indemnified Party from all liability arising out of such Proceeding, (ii) does not contain any factual or legal admission by or with respect to any Indemnified Party or any adverse statement with respect to the character, professionalism, expertise or reputation of any Indemnified Party or any action or inaction of any Indemnified Party and (iii) does not preclude or purport to preclude the future business activities of any Indemnified Person.
In addition to any rights of indemnification or contribution set forth above, the Company agrees to reimburse each Indemnified Party for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses as they are incurred (including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and expenses of outside counsel) in connection with investigating, preparing or settling any Proceeding involving the enforcement of this Agreement or this Annex A.
The indemnity, reimbursement and contribution obligations of the Company are in addition to any liability that the Company may have at common law or otherwise to any Indemnified Party and will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successors, assigns, heirs and personal representatives of the Company or an Indemnified Party. The provisions of this Annex will survive the modification, expiration or termination of this Agreement.