As filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2024.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Aldel Financial II Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Cayman Islands | 6770 | [_] | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
Hassan R. Baqar
Chief Financial Officer
104 S. Walnut Street, Unit 1A
Itasca, IL 60143
(847) 773-1665
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Hassan R. Baqar
Chief Financial Officer
104 S. Walnut Street, Unit 1A
Itasca, IL 60143
(847) 773-1665
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to: | ||||
Mitchell S. Nussbaum Giovanni Caruso Loeb & Loeb LLP 345 Park Avenue New York, NY 10154 Tel: (212) 407-4000 | Jose Santos Forbes Hare Cassia Court Camana Bay Suite 716 10 Market Street Grand Cayman KY1-9006 Tel: (345) 949-7707
| Joel L. Rubinstein Daniel Nussen White & Case LLP
|
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box: ¨
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | x | Smaller reporting company | x | |||
Emerging growth company | x |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED SEPTEMBER 27, 2024
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$200,000,000
Aldel Financial II Inc.
20,000,000 Units
Aldel Financial II Inc. is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company whose business purpose is to effect 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, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with a market capitalization of between $1 billion and $5 billion.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may call the warrants for redemption once the warrants become exercisable. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our 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 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against an initial business combination, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the initial business combination.
Our sponsor, Aldel Investors II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (which we refer to as our “sponsor” throughout this prospectus) and BTIG, LLC, the representative of the underwriters of this offering (“BTIG”), have committed to purchase an aggregate of 640,000 units (or up to 707,500 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “private units”) at a price of $10.00 per unit and our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 1,000,000 warrants (the “OTM Warrants” and, together with the private units, the “private placement securities”) at a price of $0.10 per warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000. Each OTM Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $15.00 per share and expires ten years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein,. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Each private unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share (the “private shares”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant (each whole warrant, a “private warrant”) to purchase one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. Of the 640,000 private units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 440,000 private units (or 477,500 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), and BTIG has agreed to purchase 200,000 private units (or 230,000 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The private placement securities are identical to the securities sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis.
Certain institutional investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor, BTIG or any other investor), which we refer to as the “non-managing sponsor investors” throughout this prospectus, have expressed an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of non-managing sponsor membership interests, (i) an aggregate of 394,667 private units (or 432,428 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($3,946,670 in the aggregate, or $4,324,280 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (ii) an aggregate of 533,333 OTM Warrants (or 507,246 OTM Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.10 per warrant ($53,333.30 in the aggregate, or$50,724.60 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in private placements that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor purchasing, through the sponsor, the private placement securities allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of 2,857,143 of the founder shares (or 3,125,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor. For so long as they are held by BTIG or its affiliates or associated persons, the private warrants will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA rules.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $98,600,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). There are 10 non-managing sponsor investors and the total maximum percentage of the offering for which there are indications of interest is 49.3%. None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing sponsor investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing sponsor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase a different number of units in this offering, or none at all. In addition, the underwriters have full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no units to the non-managing sponsor investors. The underwriters will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on units purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, if any, as they will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing sponsor investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with the non-managing sponsor investors, see “Summary — The Offering — Expressions of Interest.” In the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because the non-managing sponsor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing of this offering and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing sponsor investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing sponsor investors will vote on any business combination.
Our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, for an aggregate of 6,160,714 Class B ordinary shares (up to 803,571 of which will be surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein. Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in 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 the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur an immediate and material dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units. See the section titled “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in material dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price per unit and our net tangible book value per share, as adjusted to reflect various potential redemption levels that may occur in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, which we refer to as “NTBV,” on a pro forma basis to give effect to this offering and the issuance of the private placement units and OTM Warrants, assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option and exercise of the over-allotment option in full. NTBV excludes the effect of the consummation of our initial business combination or any related transactions or expenses. See the Section entitled “Dilution” of this prospectus for additional information.
As of July 22, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offering Price of $10.00 per unit | 25% of Maximum Redemption (assumes 5,750,000 public shares redeemed) | 50% of Maximum Redemption (assumes 11,500,000 public shares redeemed) | 75% of Maximum Redemption (assumes 17,250,000 public shares redeemed) | Maximum Redemption (assumes 23,000,000 public shares redeemed) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference between NTBV and Offering Price | ||||||||||||||||||
Assuming Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 7.776 | $ | 5.8511 | $ | 4.149 | $ | 3.926 | $ | 6.074 | $ | 2.001 | $ | 7.999 | $ | 0.076 | $ | 9.924 | |||||||||
Assuming No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 7.776 | $ | 7.776 | $ | 2.224 | $ | 7.246 | $ | 2.754 | $ | 4.742 | $ | 5.258 | $ | 0.361 | $ | 9.639 |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement securities described in this prospectus, $201,000,000, or $231,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.05 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. 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 and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement securities will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our 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 in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. 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.
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 (the “completion window”) 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 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 thereon (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment for the public shares and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation or other distributions, if any), subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and subject to the other requirements of applicable law. The redemption rights will also include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on The Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “ALDFU” 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 ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless BTIG, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions as described further herein. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ALDF” and “ALDFW”, 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 [42] 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.
As described in “Our Company — Our Business Combination Process” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” each of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Our sponsor and members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers, directors, and non-managing sponsor investors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Since in addition to the public units that will be purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the non-managing sponsor investors will have interests in the founder shares indirectly through their membership interests in the sponsor, the non-managing sponsor investors will have the potential to realize enhanced economic returns from their investment as compared to other investors purchasing public units in this offering. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the founder shares and private placement warrants may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Commencing on the date on which our securities are listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Additionally, upon closing of this offering, we will repay up to an aggregate of $180,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses. In the event that following this offering we obtain working capital loans from our sponsor to finance transaction costs related to our initial business combination, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of our sponsor. See the sections titled “Prospectus Summary — Our Sponsor”, “Proposed Business — Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for more information.
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 | $ | 200,000,000 | |||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | $ | 0.55 | $ | 11,000,000 | |||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | $ | 9.45 | $ | 189,000,000 |
(1) | $0.175 per unit sold in the offering, or $3,500,000 in the aggregate (or up to $4,025,000 if the overallotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.375 per unit, or $7,500,000 (or up to $8,625,000 if the underwriters’ 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. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
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 [·], 2024.
Sole Book Running Manager
BTIG
, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different or inconsistent information with that contained in this prospectus, 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 TM 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.
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.
As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus 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 the company will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, as amended and/or restated from time to time;
· “BTIG” refers to BTIG, LLC, the representative of the underwriters in this offering;
· “Companies Act” refers to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;
· “completion window” are to (i) the period ending on the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, in which we must complete an initial business combination or (ii) such other time period in which we must complete an initial business combination pursuant to an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
· “directors” are to our current directors and director nominees;
· “founder shares” are to Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and the Class A ordinary shares that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination as described herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”);
· “initial shareholders” are to our sponsor and any other holders of our founder shares immediately prior to this offering;
· “management” or our “management team” are to our executive officers, directors and our senior advisor;
· “non-managing sponsor investor” means certain institutional investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management or any other investor or BTIG) that have expressed an interest to purchase (i) up to an aggregate of approximately $98,600,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) and (ii) (A) an aggregate of 394,667 private units (or 432,428 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($3,946,670 in the aggregate, or $4,324,280 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (B) an aggregate of 533,333 OTM Warrants (or 507,246 OTM Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.10 per warrant ($53,333.30 in the aggregate, or $50,724.60 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full); subject to each non-managing sponsor investor purchasing, through the sponsor, the private placement securities allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.004 per membership interest corresponding to the founder shares to the non-managing sponsor investors at the closing of this offering reflecting interests in an aggregate of 2,857,143 of the founder shares (or 3,125,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor. There are 10 non-managing sponsor investors and the total maximum percentage of the offering for which there are indications of interest is 49.3%. None of the non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering;
· “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares;
· “OTM Warrants” are to 1,000,000 warrants issued at a price of $0.10 per warrant, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $15.00 per share;
1
· “private placement” are to the private placement to our sponsor and BTIG of the private units and OTM Warrants, as applicable, that will occur simultaneously with this offering;
· “private placement securities” are to the private units (including the underlying private shares and private warrants) and the OTM Warrants (including the underlying Class A shares) underlying securities;
· “private placement warrants” are to the private warrants and the OTM Warrants issued to our sponsor and BTIG, as applicable, in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering;
· “private units” are to the units sold in the private placement;
· “private warrants” refer to the warrants included in the private units;
· “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders, any non-managing sponsor investors 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” will only exist with respect to such public shares;
· “public shares” are to Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
· “public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market.
· “sponsor” are to Aldel Investors II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, newly formed for the purpose of acting as the sponsor in connection with this offering and the sponsor conducts no other business; Robert I. Kauffman, our Chief Executive Officer, is the managing member of the sponsor, and each of Hassan R. Baqar, Larry G. Swets and [____] own limited membership interests in our sponsor;
· “warrants” are to our public warrants and private placement warrants; and
· “we,” “us,” “our,” “company” or “our company” are to Aldel Financial II Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company.
Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any forfeiture of shares, and all references to forfeiture of shares, described in this prospectus shall take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividend described in this prospectus will take effect as a share capitalization 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.
2
Our Company
We are a blank check company incorporated on July 15, 2024 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, 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, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with a market capitalization of between $1 billion and $5 billion.
We may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry or at any stage of its corporate evolution. Our primary focus, however, will be in completing a business combination with an established business of scale poised for continued growth, led by a highly regarded management team. Our management team has an extensive track record of acquiring attractive assets, investing in growth while fostering financial discipline and improving business results.
Competitive Strengths
Our team, led by Robert I. Kauffman, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has decades of experience in identifying attractive risk-adjusted return investments, often created by temporary market disruptions or sector-specific changes that require adjustments to business operations or capital structures.
Our strategy is to identify a business combination that we believe can benefit from our management team’s experience and strategic guidance, thereby creating long-term value for our shareholders. We aim to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify, acquire, and manage a business with the potential for significant growth and profitability as a publicly listed company.
Our target businesses are primarily those that can benefit from becoming publicly traded, gaining access to capital markets. Our management team and board of directors have extensive experience working with investors, providing us with a competitive advantage in identifying and executing business combinations.
We will utilize the extensive network of our management team and board of directors to help source and evaluate target merger ideas. Their expertise ranges from banking, financial services, real estate and asset-based finance, as well as venture capital and growth equity investing. We believe our team has the ability to cultivate access to a broad spectrum of opportunities. In addition, we anticipate target business candidates will be brought to our attention from unaffiliated sources including investment market participants, private equity funds, and other large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
Our Management Team
We will seek to capitalize on the experience and contacts of the members of our management team. Our management team is comprised of finance, technology and investment and merchant banking leaders with senior level, multi-national operational and transactional experience drawn from top global institutions, including Fortress Investment Group LLC, UBS Group AG (NYSE: UBS), and BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK). Furthermore, the members of our management have a variety of experience and expertise in distressed debt, mergers and acquisitions, bank and securitized debt financing markets, executing initial public offerings and other equity capital markets activities, asset management, financial product development, insurance, real estate as well as experience as investors and entrepreneurs. We have completed numerous going-public, mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions with billions of dollars of deal value. Our management team also has extensive experience in operating public and private financial services companies, serving on both public and private company boards of directors, including financial institutions, insurance, and technology companies, strong knowledge and experience in financial, legal and regulatory matters, initial public offerings and private equity and venture capital.
3
We will seek to capitalize on the significant contacts and experience of our management team, including Robert I. Kauffman, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Hassan Baqar, our Chief Financial Officer, Larry Swets, our Senior Advisor, and members of our board of directors, Jonathan S. Marshall, Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Peter Early.
We believe that these networks of contacts and relationships will provide us with an important source of potential initial business combination targets. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Upon closing of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with these networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target business and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads.
Our Executive Officers and Directors
Robert I. Kauffman has served as Chief Executive Officer since August 2024. Mr. Kauffman will serve as the Chairman of the board of directors upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Kauffman was a co-founder, principal and member of the board of directors of Fortress Investment Group LLC from its founding in 1998 until 2012. During his tenure at the firm, Mr. Kauffman served as a member of Fortress’s management committee and was responsible for the management of Fortress’s European private equity investment operations. While at Fortress Mr. Kauffman was primarily focused on financial services, real estate, distressed debt restructurings, and other asset based businesses. During his career, he has been involved in a wide variety of investment activities, including private fund raising, initial public offerings, primary and secondary public share offerings in multiple jurisdictions, take private transactions, as well as billions of dollars of bank and capital market debt financings and securitizations.
Prior to co-founding Fortress, Mr. Kauffman served as a managing director at UBS, from 1997 to 1998 in its Principal Finance area. Prior to that he was a principal at BlackRock Financial Management Inc., from 1993 to 1997 playing a key role in raising and investing their first Private Equity Fund, BlackRock Asset Investors. Previously, Mr. Kauffman worked at Lehman Brothers from 1986 to 1993 primarily focused on the mortgage and securitization markets both in the US and Europe.
Since his departure from Fortress in 2012, Mr. Kauffman has brought his extensive business experience to a variety of private and public investments, including the IPO of Aldel Financial Inc. and its successful merger with Hagerty Inc (HGTY), the largest specialty insurer of collector cars.
Mr. Kauffman serves on the board of directors of Hagerty Inc, Global Net Lease Realty, a publicly traded REIT, and an advisory board member of McLaren Racing LTD., a leading UK based Formula1 racing team. Mr. Kauffman is currently the chairman of the Race Team Alliance, an association of NASCAR Cup Series teams; and the owner of RK Motors, a leading restorer and reseller of classic cars.
Mr. Kauffman is also an investor and advisory board member of Off The Chain Capital, a cryptocurrency focused hedge fund. Mr. Kauffman earned a degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in 1986.
4
Hassan R. Baqar has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since August 2024 and the Secretary since inception. Mr. Baqar has over 20 years of experience within financial services and other industries focused on corporate development, mergers & acquisitions, capital raising, investments and real estate transactions. Mr. Baqar has served as the founder and Managing Member of Sequoia Financial LLC, a management services and advisory firm, since January 2019. Mr. Baqar has also served as Chief Financial Officer from August 2021 to February 2024 and Executive Vice President from December 2021 to February 2024 of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF)) ), which operates as a diversified reinsurance, asset management, merchant banking, manufacturing and real estate holding company, as Chief Financial Officer of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd., a former Bermuda based reinsurance company from October 2017 to December 2021, as a Director of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSX: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry from August 2019 to December 2021 and as Chief Financial Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. from June 2016 to December 2020, as a Director of FG Reinsurance Ltd., a Cayman Islands reinsurance company since June 2020, as Director, Treasurer and Secretary of Sponsor Protection Coverage and Risk, Inc., a South Carolina captive insurance company from October 2022 to March 2024, and as a Director and Chief Financial Officer of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Baqar served as a Director, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U) from October 2021 to September 2024, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since September 2024, Mr. Baqar serves as Chief Financial Officer of Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since October 2023, has served as Chief Financial Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., special purpose acquisition companies in the process of completing the initial public offering.
Mr. Baqar served as a Director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU) from December 2021 to August 2023, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreconnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, and as Chief Financial Officer of Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF) from January 2021 to December 2021, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. From July 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Baqar served as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. Previously, he served as Vice President of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) (“Kingsway”) from January 2014 to January 2019 and as a Vice President of Kingsway’s subsidiary Kingsway America Inc. from January 2010 to January 2019. Mr. Baqar also served as Director and Chief Financial Officer of 1347 Capital Corp. from April 2014 to July 2016, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB). Mr. Baqar served as a member of the Board of Directors of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGF)) from October 2012 to May 2015. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of United Insurance Holdings Corp. (NYSE: UIHC), a publicly held property and casualty insurance holding company, from August 2011 to April 2012.
His previous experience also includes Director of Finance at Itasca Financial, LLC from 2008 to 2009 and positions held at Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company (a Kemper Insurance company), a diversified mutual property-casualty insurance provider, from June 2000 to April 2008, where he most recently served as a Senior Analyst. Mr. Baqar earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northeastern Illinois University in 2009 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Monmouth College in 2000. He also holds a Certified Public Accountant designation.
Our Board of Directors
Jonathan S. Marshall will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since June 2018, Mr. Marshall has served as the Executive Director of the Race Team Alliance (RTA), a 501(c)(6) organization that represents the collective interests of the race teams that compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. As Executive Director, he works closely with the leadership of the member race teams with a mandate to advance their collective interests in the sport. He has served in that role since 2018. Prior to the RTA, from November 2013 to April 2018, Mr. Marshall was the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the World Surf League (“WSL”) having joined the WSL as its General Counsel before being promoted to COO. In addition to his legal background, Mr. Marshall has a wide range of experience in the fields of media distribution, financing, licensing and sales, mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions.
5
Prior to joining WSL, from January 2011 to October 2013, Mr. Marshall was SVP, Business Development & Strategy at USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he oversaw the operations for USA TODAY High School Sports, sports digital properties and sports analytics. Prior to that, Mr. Marshall was President of Television at Westwood One. He began his professional career with the law firm, Shearman & Sterling before moving to work in the entertainment practice at Loeb & Loeb, LLP. Mr. Marshall has been a member of the California State Bar since 1988 and is a graduate of the Tulane Law School (J.D.) and the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University (B.A.). We believe Mr. Marshall is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive management expertise and legal experience.
Stuart Kovensky will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Kovensky is an experienced C-Suite executive, investor and board member with over 25 years of experience in investment management, business development, fund-raising and corporate governance. Since 2023, Mr. Kovensky has served as the Managing Member of Cogent Advisory LLC, a firm he founded and where he focuses on providing corporate advisory and director services. Between January 2006 and December 2022, Mr. Kovensky was the Co-CEO, CIO and member of the board of directors of Onex Credit Partners, a firm that he co-founded in 2006 and was subsequently sold to Onex Corp. Onex Credit Partners is a multi-strategy investor in both public and private non-investment grade credit markets with assets under management in excess of $25 billion. In his role at Onex Credit, Stuart shared responsibility for all aspects of the firms’ operations with a focus on investment management and marketing as well as business development, in which capacity he spearheaded key areas of strategic expansion that helped the firm grow significantly, both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
Prior to co-founding Onex Credit Partners, Mr. Kovensky was a Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the opportunistic credit strategy at John A. Levin and Co. from 2001-2005. From 1995-2000 he was a Partner and Head of Research at Murray Capital Management. Mr. Kovensky began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank in 1989 where he gained experience in High Yield Finance, Structured Finance and International Trade Finance. Mr. Kovensky has served on the board of directors for Naviga, Inc, Artera Services, Smile Holdings, United Road Services, CWT Travel Services and At Home Cayman, Inc. He is also an advisory board member of meetperry, inc.
Mr. Kovensky earned a degree in Management from Binghamton University in 1989 and a Masters in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1996. We believe Mr. Kovensky is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his management and financial markets and banking experience.
Meltem Demirors will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since 2024, Ms. Demirors has served as the Managing Partner of Crucible Capital, an investment firm she founded which focuses on the intersection of cryptocurrencies, physical infrastructure, and commodities markets. From 2018 to 2023, Ms. Demirors served as Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, a publicly listed European investment company specialising in digital assets, where she oversaw investments to provide institutional investors with thematic, risk-managed exposure to the emerging crypto asset ecosystem and served as managing director of the firm's US operations. From 2015 until 2018, Ms. Demirors led the Development team at Digital Currency Group, one of the largest digital asset investment firms in the world. Previously, Ms. Demirors was a strategy consultant in Deloitte's Oil & Gas practice. She is a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media and is a Program Fellow at the Oxford Saïd Business School where she has been overseeing the Blockchain Strategy Programme since 2017. Ms. Demirors holds a BA in Mathematical Economics from Rice University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. We believe that Ms. Demiror is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her experience in public companies, financial markets and management skills.
Peter Early will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since April 2024, Mr. Early has served as head business development at 1Round Table Partners (“1RT”), the largest growth equity investor focused exclusively on the blockchain space. Prior to 1RT, he served on the board of directors and lead all aspects of business development and strategy from 2019 to 2024 for Exos Financial (“Exos”), a tech-enabled institutional bank he co-founded with Brady Dougan, the former CEO of Credit Suisse, and Joe Squeri, the former CTO of Citadel. Mr. Early led the SPAC business at Exos where he advised multiple companies on their SPAC mergers and multiple sponsor teams on their SPAC IPOs. He also devised and oversaw an investment strategy that invested roughly $200m in an actively managed portfolio of listed SPACs.
6
Prior to Exos, Mr. Early served in leadership roles at SoFi Technologies, Inc., Guggenheim Partners, LLC, and Wynn Resorts, Limited and worked in trading at Bankers Trust New York Corporation and Tiger Global Management, LLC. Additionally, he helped launch three Tiger-Cub hedge funds as either the CEO/CIO or President. Mr. Early earned a BS in electrical engineering and economics from Yale University in 1991. We believe that Mr. Early is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive experience in financial services, capital markets, operational and management expertise.
Our Senior Advisor
Larry G. Swets, Jr. serves as our senior advisor. Mr. Swets has over 25 years of experience within financial services encompassing both non-executive and executive roles. Mr. Swets founded Itasca Financial LLC, an advisory and investment firm, in 2005 and has served as its managing member since inception. Mr. Swets is founder and President of Itasca Golf Managers, Inc., a management services and advisory firm focused on the real estate and hospitality industries since August 2018. Mr Swets served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U) from October 2021 to September 2024, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since September 2024, Mr. Swets serves as Executive Chairman of Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Mr. Swets has served as Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp. since September 2023, two special purpose acquisition companies in the process of completing its initial public offerings; and as Head of Merchant Banking of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) (Nasdaq: FGF) since February 2024. Mr. Swets is a member of the board of directors of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry since June 2016, and Ascension Illinois Foundation since March 2018.
Previously, Mr. Swets served as a director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreConnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, from February 2022 to August 2023, and as a director and Chief Executive Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, from July 2020 to July 2021. Mr. Swets served as Senior Advisor to Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market, from April 2021 to December 2021. Mr. Swets also served as Chief Executive Officer of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) from November 2020 to February 2024, after having served as interim CEO from June 2020 to November 2020, Chief Executive Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.) from June 2016 to June 2021, Chief Executive Officer of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from July 2010 to September 2018, including as its President from July 2010 to March 2017. He served as Chief Executive Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp., a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB), from April 2014 to July 2016. He was also a founder and served as Chairman of the Board of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Swets also previously served as a member of the board of directors of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) from November 2013 to February 2024, FG Group Holdings, Inc. from October 2021 to February 2024, Harbor Custom Development, Inc. (Nasdaq: HCDI) from February 2020 to November 2023, Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB) from July 2016 to August 2021, Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from September 2013 to December 2018, Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AFHIF) from December 2010 to January 2018, FMG Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FMGQ) from May 2007 to September 2008, United Insurance Holdings Corp. from 2008 to March 2012; and Risk Enterprise Management Ltd. from November 2007 to May 2012. Mr. Swets served as director of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd. from October 2017 to December 2021.
Prior to founding Itasca Financial LLC, Mr. Swets served as an insurance company executive and advisor, including the role of director of investments and fixed income portfolio manager for Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, formerly known as Kemper Insurance Companies. Mr. Swets began his career in insurance as an intern in the Kemper Scholar program in 1994. Mr. Swets earned a Master’s Degree in Finance from DePaul University in 1999 and a Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University in 1997. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
The past performance of our management team or their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either: (i) success with respect to any business combination we may consummate; or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their respective affiliates’ performance as indicative of any future performance.
For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the section entitled “Management.”
7
Prior SPAC Experience
Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Mr. Kauffman, served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aldel Financial Inc. (“Aldel I”), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. Mr. Kauffman is also a senior advisor to FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U), a Canadian special purpose acquisition company that is in the process of completing its business combination. Mr. Kauffman also served as a senior advisor to FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U) from October 2021 to September 2024, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT).
Our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, Mr. Baqar, served as Chief Financial Officer of Aldel I. In addition, Mr. Baqar also served as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U), , a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT)., as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, as Chief Financial Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp., a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB). Mr. Baqar is also the Chief Financial Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs.
Our senior advisor, Mr. Swets, served as senior advisor to Aldel I. Mr. Swets served as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT).. Previously, Mr. Swets served as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. Mr. Swets is also the Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to seek to acquire companies within industries that exhibit strong characteristics including, but not limited to, the following:
· | Public market-ready scale in the $1billion -$5 billion market capitalization range; |
· | Strong management team; |
· | Current ownership that is in transition or desires liquidity; |
· | Positive cash flows prospects; |
· | Established and clear operating models; |
· | Infrastructure to handle obligations of being a public company; |
· | Long-term organic growth; |
· | Attractive competitive dynamics; |
· | Consolidation opportunities to add scale; |
These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines 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, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC.
8
Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement securities, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against an initial business combination, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the affirmative vote of at least a majority 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 are voted at a general meeting of the company. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement.
We have until the end of the completion window 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 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 payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 thereon (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.05 per public share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest or other income earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors, which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
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 the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account). 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 entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will 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 the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
9
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding share capital, 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 the 80% of net assets test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Our Business Combination Process
We believe our management team’s significant operating and transactional experience and relationships provide us with access to a substantial number of potential initial business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and relationships with private companies, investment bankers, private equity, venture capital and debt investors, high net worth families and their advisors, commercial bankers, attorneys, management consultants, accountants and other transaction intermediaries, as well as corporate sector executives and board members around the world. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, the reputation of our management team for integrity and fair dealing with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions, especially special purpose acquisition company transactions, under varying economic and financial market conditions.
In addition, we anticipate that target business combination candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information made available to us and other reviews as we deem appropriate. We may also retain consultants with expertise relating to a prospective target business.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors or non-managing sponsor investors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions stating that the consideration to be paid by us in such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
10
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Since in addition to the public units that will be purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the non-managing sponsor investors will have interests in the founder shares indirectly through their membership interests in the sponsor, the non-managing sponsor investors will have the potential to realize enhanced economic returns from their investment as compared to other investors purchasing public units in this offering. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the founder shares and private placement securities may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Further, each of the members of our management team may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such person was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
Entity/Individual | Amount of Compensation to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Consideration Paid or to be Paid | ||
Aldel Investors II LLC | $20,000 per month | Office space, administrative and shared personnel support services | ||
5,470,714 Class B Ordinary Shares(1) | $25,000 | |||
440,000 private units (or 477,500 if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option) to be purchased simultaneously with the closing of this offering(2) | $4.400,000 (or $4,775,000 if the underwriters ecercise the over-allotment option) | |||
1,000,000 OTM Warrants to be purchased simultaneously with the closing of this offering(3) | $100,000 | |||
Up to $180,000 | Repayment of loans made to us to cover offering related and organizational expenses. | |||
Up to $1,500,000 in working capital loans, which loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant | Working capital loans to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination | |||
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination | Services in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination | |||
Aldel Investors II LLC Merchant Partner LP Robert I. Kauffman Hassan R. Baqar Stuart Kovensky Jonathan Marshall Meltem Demirors Peter Early Larry G. Swets | Anti-dilution protection upon conversion of an aggregate of 6,160,714 Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A ordinary shares at a greater than one-to-one ratio | Issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion |
(1) | Of the Class B Ordinary Shares, the non-managing sponsor investors own, indirectly through the purchase of non-managing membership interests, an aggregate of up to 3,125,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, which were purchased for $0.004 per share. |
(2) | The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of non-managing membership interests, an aggregate of 394,667 private units ($3,946,670 in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per private unit (or 432,428 private units ($4,324,280 in the aggregate) if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. |
(3) | The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of non-managing membership interests, an aggregate of up to 533,333 OTM Warrants ($53,333.30 in the aggregate) at a price of $0.10 per warrant (or 507,246 OTM Warrants ($50,724.60 in the aggregate) if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. |
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price of $0.04, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units. Further, the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Please see “— Risks Relating to Our Securities — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline” and “Dilution.” Public shareholders will experience additional dilution from the issuance of the private shares (including private shares underlying private units issued upon conversion of working capital loans). Further, upon exercise of the private warrants and OTM warrants, we will issue an aggregate of 1,295,000 Class A ordinary shares. Additional shares may be issued upon exercise of any private warrants underlying private units issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The assumed exercise of the warrants would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Additionally, we will reimburse an affiliate of our sponsor in an amount equal to $20,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support made available to us, as described elsewhere in this prospectus.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder 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 any other equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares 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, approximately 21% of the sum of (i) the total number of all Class A ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private units), plus (ii) all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued, in connection with the closing of the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private units issued to our sponsor or any of its affiliates or to our officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans) minus (iii) any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
11
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial shareholders and the public shareholders:
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | |||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | Average Price Per Share | ||||||||||||||||
Initial Shareholders(1) | 5,357,143 | 20.6 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.005 | |||||||||||
Private Shares | 640,000 | 2.5 | % | 6,400,000 | 3.10 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
Public Shareholders | 20,000,000 | 76.9 | % | 200,000,000 | 96.89 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
25,997,143 | 100.00 | % | $ | 206,425,000 | 100.00 | % |
(1) Assumes that 803,571 founder shares are forfeited after the closing of this offering in the event the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option.
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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. The purpose for the surrender of corporate opportunities is to allow officers, directors or other representatives with multiple business affiliations to continue to serve as an officer of our company or on our board of directors. Our officers and directors may from time to time be presented with opportunities that could benefit both another business affiliation and us. In the absence of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our charter, certain candidates would not be able to serve as an officer or director. We believe we substantially benefit from having representatives who bring significant, relevant and valuable experience to our management, and, as a result, the inclusion of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide us with greater flexibility to attract and retain the officers and directors that we feel are the best candidates. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, 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. Further, other than the companies named under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” none of our management teams’ business affiliations are actively engaged in the business of acquiring a company.
In addition, our officers, Robert Kauffman and Hassan Baraq, and directors, [_] and [_], are members of our sponsor and own membership interests of our sponsor. The remaining membership interests are held by third party investors that are not affiliated with members of our management.
Mr. Baqar and Mr. Swets are, respectively, the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs. In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors or any of their affiliates may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. Other than FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., which are special purposes acquisition companies that are affiliated with our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Baqar, as discussed under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” the other entities to which our officers and directors currently owe fiduciary duties or contractual obligations are not themselves in the business of engaging in business combinations. While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, Mr. Baqar, to the extent that he is presented with opportunities that could benefit a SPAC, plans to give the first suitable transaction opportunity to this company, the second suitable transaction opportunity to FG Merger II Corp. and the third suitable transcation opportunity to FG Merger III Corp., which is the sequence in which such entities are expected to become public. If Mr. Baqar is involved in any other subsequent blank check companies in the future, Mr. Baqar plans to give priority with respect to transaction opportunities first to this company, second to FG Merger II Corp. and third to FG Merger III Corp. Our sponsor, Chief Executive Officer and board of directors are not involved in a fiduciary capacity with, nor have any contractual obligations to, any other special purpose acquisition company (including FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp). While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, we expect that our company will have priority over any other special purpose acquisition companies (if any) subsequently formed by our sponsor, officers or directors with respect to acquisition opportunities until we complete our initial business combination or enter into a contractual agreement that would restrict our ability to engage in material discussions regarding a potential initial business combination. We expect this company to have priority with respect to such acquisition opportunities because our goal is to complete a business combination with a strong target company, as we did in Aldel I, and build a track record which includes the successful completion of our initial business combination before turning to other potential opportunities in the market for subsequently formed special purpose acquisition companies. As a result of the foregoing, we do not believe that any potential conflicts from our management team’s other business or investment ventures would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers, and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, or directors. Such affiliated person(s) 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 and in negotiating or accepting the terms of the transaction as such affiliated person(s) would have interests different from our public shareholders and would likely not receive any financial benefit unless we consummated such business combination. We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors or non-managing sponsor investors.
Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” As discussed in this prospecus, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain a waiver of the corporate opportunity doctrine. Our officers and directors may from time to time be presented with opportunities that could benefit both another business affiliation and us. Such affiliated 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 substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities or the non-managing sponsor investors, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Business Combination Criteria” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors.
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. In addition, while the private placement securities are identical to the securities sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus, the private placement warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis. As a result, the sponsor may profit at times when an unaffiliated security holder cannot profit, such as when the public warrants are called for redemption or if the sponsor chooses to utilize the cashless exercise option under circumstances where the public warranholders cannot exercise on a cashless basis. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the founder shares and private placement securities may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Further, each of the members of our management team may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such person was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
On or prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Our sponsor does not have any agreement, arrangement or understanding with us or our officers, directors, or affiliates with respect to determining whether to proceed with a de-SPAC transaction. However, in the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement securities and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
12
Additional Financing
We have not selected any specific business combination target but intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than what we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with a market capitalization of between $1 billion and $5 billion. 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 any redemption by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Such additional financing may be in the form of PIPE transactions or convertible debt transactions. These financing transactions would be designed to ensure a return on investment to the investor in exchange for assisting the company in completing the business combination or providing sufficient liquidity to the post-combination company. These financing transactions may be significantly dilutive to the post-combination company, and represent the type of financing risk that is not associated with traditional initial public offerings. We cannot assure you that financing will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. None of our initial shareholders, directors or officers or their affiliates are obligated to provide any such financing to us. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate.
In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our directors, officers or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Expressions of Interest
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $98,600,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). There are 10 non-managing sponsor investors and the total maximum percentage of the offering for which there are indications of interest is 49.3%. None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing sponsor investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing sponsor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase a different number or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters have full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no units to the non-managing sponsor investors. The underwriters will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on units purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing sponsor investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. In the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because the non-managing sponsor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing sponsor investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing sponsor investors will vote on any business combination.
The non-managing sponsor investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued membership interests in the sponsor, with no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by the sponsor, including the founder shares and the private placement securities held by the sponsor. The interests of the partners of the sponsor are denominated in two classes of membership interest units: [_]. Pursuant to the agreement of all partners of the sponsor, the management and control of the sponsor is vested exclusively in the managing member, Robert I. Kauffman, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board, without any voting, veto, consent or other participation rights by any non-managing sponsor investors regardless of their unit ownership. As a result of this management structure, non-managing sponsor investors will have no right to control the sponsor, or participate in any decision regarding the disposal of any security held by the sponsor, or otherwise. Further, unlike certain arrangements of other blank check companies, the non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the postoffering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. See “Risk Factors — The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase substantially all of the units in this offering, which could reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity for our shares, adversely affect the trading price of our shares.” If the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus. We do not expect any purchase of units by the non-managing sponsor investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements.
The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as it will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. The underwriters’ affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 104 S. Walnut Street, Unit 1A, Itasca, IL 60143 and our telephone number is (847) 773-1665.
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.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (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 (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 is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled to or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equal to or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.
13
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
Securities offered: | 200,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
· one Class A ordinary share; and
· one-half of one redeemable warrant.
|
Proposed Nasdaq symbols: | Units: “ALDFU”
Class A Ordinary Shares: “ALDF”
Warrants: “ALDFW”
|
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants: | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless BTIG informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated information to reflect th exercise of the over-allotment option. |
14
Units: | |
Number outstanding before this offering | 0 |
Number to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering(1) | 640,000 |
Number outstanding after this offering(1) | 20,640,000(1) |
Ordinary shares: | |
Number outstanding before this offering(2) | 6,160,714(2) |
Number included in the private units to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering(4) | 640,000 |
Number outstanding after this offering (4) | 25,997,143(3) |
Warrants: | |
Number of warrants included in the private units to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering | 320,000 |
Number of OTM Warrants | 1,000,000 |
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement | 11,320,000(5) |
Exercisability: | Each whole warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to exercise a warrant. |
15
We structured each unit to contain one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar special purpose acquisition companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. |
(1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and 803,571 founder shares are surrendered to us for no consideration. Comprised of 20,000,000 units sold in the offering and 640,000 private units to be sold in the private placement. |
(2) | Includes up to 803,571 founder shares that will be surrendered to us for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
(3) | Comprised of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units to be sold in this offering, 5,357,143 Class B ordinary shares (or founder shares), and 640,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the private units. Founder shares are currently classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” |
(4) | Assumes surrender of all 803,571 founder shares. Up to 803,571 founder shares will be surrendered to us for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
(5) | Comprised of (i) 10,000,000 public warrants included in the units to be sold in this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), (ii) 1,000,000 OTM Warrants, and (iii) 320,000 private warrants in the private units to be sold in the private placement. |
16
Exercise price: | $11.50 per share (or $15.00 per share with respect to the OTM Warrants), subject to adjustments as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our initial shareholders or such affiliates prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of warrants for cash” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
|
Exercise period: | The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable to register or qualify such ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which warrants were offered by us in this offering. |
17
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. |
However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement with the SEC and have an effective registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act.
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years (or ten years with respect to the OTM Warrants) after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; provided, however, that the private placement warrants issued to BTIG as part of the private placement units will not be exercisable more than five years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). |
18
Redemption of warrants for cash | Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants for cash (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
· in whole and not in part;
· at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
· upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and
· if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination as described elsewhere in this prospectus) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after completion of our initial business combination and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the warrants for cash unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day measurement period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which warrants were offered by us in this offering.
The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis.
| |
Cashless exercise | If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information.
|
19
Founder shares: | On July 19, 2024, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in consideration of 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares, which we refer to as the founder shares. On August 13, 2024, the Sponsor transferred 690,000 founder shares to our officers, director nominees, senior advisor, and FG Merchant Partner LP, resulting in the Sponsor holding 5,060,000 founder shares. On September 25, 2024, the Sposor purchased an additional 410,714 founder shares for $0.004 per share, resulting in our initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 6,160,714 founder shares (5,470,714 of which are held by the Sponsor).
Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor purchasing, through the sponsor, the private placement securities allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of 2,857,143 of the founder shares (or 3,125,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor.
Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent approximately 21% of the outstanding shares after this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units).
Up to 803,571 of the founder shares will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a share dividend or 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 as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units).
|
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
· prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands);
· the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
· the founder shares are entitled to registration rights;
· our initial shareholders, 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 any founder shares, private placement securities and public shares they hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement securities and public shares they hold 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 in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions 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 any founder shares and private placement securities they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window (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 and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account). |
20
· If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement securities and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination and we will only complete our initial business combination if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, passed by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes by the shareholders of the issued shares represented in person or represented by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company, voting together as a single class. As a result, assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their ordinary shares at a general meeting of the company, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination; and
| |
· the non-managing sponsor investors will only be issued membership interests in our sponsor, with no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by it, including the founder shares and the private placement securities held by the sponsor and will not have any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our public shareholders. Because the non-managing sponsor investors will not directly own the founder shares or private placement securities held by the sponsor, they will not have the right to vote, dispose of, or exercise such securities. The non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders with respect to, among other things, approval of a business combination or the exercise of redempotion rights because of their ownership of a substantial portion of the public shares and their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus; and |
· the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”
|
21
OTM Warrants | In addition to the private warrants underlying the private units held by our sponsor, our sponsor has committed to purchase 1,000,000 OTM Warrants at $0.10 per warrant, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $15.00 per share, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. A portion of the purchase price of the OTM Warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $200 million (or $230 million if the underwriters exercise their over- allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the private placement warrants will expire worthless.
|
Transfer restrictions on founder shares and private placement securities: | Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; except to certain permitted transferees and under certain circumstances as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities.” In addition, we could agree to permit the holders of our founder shares to transfer shares or agree to cancel such securities. Although no such transfers or cancellations are contemplated, we could agree to permit such transfer or cancellation to facilitate the closing of a business combination. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock- up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, 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 (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
The purchasers of the private placement securities have also agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement securities, including the underlying shares and warrants (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founders’ shares may be transferred as described above), until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
Assuming no liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction takes place, lock-ups on the founder shares and private placement securities would expire as follows: |
Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Natural Persons and Entities Subject to Restrictions |
Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | |||
Founder Shares | one year after the completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that if (1) the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, 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 (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. | Aldel Investors II LLC
Robert I. Kauffman
Hassan R. Baqar
Stuart Kovensky
Jonathan Marshall
Meltem Demirors
Peter Early Larry G. Swets
| Transfers permitted (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our sponsor or to any member of the sponsor, any of their affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (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 a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s operating agreement, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; or (h) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) 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 agreement |
22
| except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our sponsor or to any member of the sponsor, any of their affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (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 a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s operating agreement, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; or (h) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) 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 agreement. | |||||
Private Placement Securities | 30 days after the completion of the business combination | Aldel Investors II LLC
Robert I. Kauffman Hassan R. Baqar Stuart Kovensky Jonathan Marshall Meltem Demirors Peter Early Larry G. Swets | Same as above |
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights: | The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders 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 excess of the amounts sold in this offering and in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which the founder shares convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding founder shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemend issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, approximately 21% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders and not including the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private units), 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 shares or equity- linked securities or rights exercisable for or convertible intoshares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private units issued to our sponsor or any of its affiliates or to our officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans, provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis. |
23
Private units | Our sponsor and BTIG have committed to purchase an aggregate of 640,000 private units (if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, 707,500 private units) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of those 640,000 private units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 440,000 private units (or 477,500 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). BTIG has agreed to purchase 200,000 private units (or 230,000 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The non-managing sponsor investors have indicated an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of membership interests of our sponsor, an aggregate of 394,667 private units (or 432,428 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($3,946,670 in the aggregate, or $4,324,280 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering, except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor, BTIG or their respective permitted transferees, (i) they may not (including the underlying securities), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) and will be entitled to registration rights.
|
Voting | Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our Class B ordinary shares and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than 90% of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at our general meeting.
|
24
Proceeds to be held in trust account | Nasdaq listing rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement securities be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement securities described in this prospectus, $201,000,000, or $231,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.05 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, after deducting $3,500,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering and an aggregate of $2,000,000 to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $7,500,000 (or up to $8,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.
|
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 and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination; (2) 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 in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within the completion window, 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.
|
25
Expressions of interest | The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $98,600,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). There are 10 non-managing sponsor investors and the total maximum percentage of the offering for which there are indications of interest is 49.3%. None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing sponsor investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing sponsor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase a different number or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters have full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no units to the non-managing sponsor investors. The underwriters will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on units purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing sponsor investors has any obligation to vote any public shares they may own in favor of our initial business combination. In the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because the non-managing sponsor investors are not obligated to own any public shares following the closing of this offering and are not obligated to vote any public shares they may own in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of the non-managing sponsor investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing sponsor investors will vote on any business combination. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. See “Risk Factors — The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase substantially all of the units in this offering, which could reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity for our shares, adversely affect the trading price of our shares.”
The non-managing sponsor investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued membership interests in the sponsor, with no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by the sponsor, including the founder shares and the private placement units held by the sponsor. The non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders.
However, if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders with respect to, among other things, approval of a business combination or the exercise of redempotion rights because of their ownership of a substantial portion of the public shares and their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus. |
26
The interests of the members of the sponsor are denominated in two classes of membership interest units: [_]. Pursuant to an agreement of all the members of the sponsor, the management and control of the sponsor is vested exclusively in its managing member, Robert I. Kauffman, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, without any voting, veto, consent or other participation rights by any non-managing sponsor investors regardless of their unit ownership. As a result of this management structure, non-managing sponsor investors will have no right to control the sponsor, or participate in any decision regarding the disposal of any security held by the sponsor, or otherwise. Further, unlike certain arrangements of other blank check companies, the non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders.
The non-managing sponsor investors are purchasing membership interests in the sponsor, with no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by the sponsor, including the founder shares and the private placement securities held by the sponsor and will not have any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders. The non-managing sponsor investors will not directly own the founder shares or private placement securities held by the sponsor or have any right to vote, dispose of, or exercise such securities. As a result of their ownership of membership interests in the sponsor, it is possible that some non-managing sponsor investors may be incentivized to vote any other Class A shares or other securities held by them in favor of a business combination.
The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as it will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. The underwriters’ affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor. |
27
Ability to extend time to complete an initial business combination sources | We have until the end of the completion window 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 Class A ordinary shares will be offered an opportunity 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 payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 thereon (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay our income taxes, and/or to redeem our public shares in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as described above. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested in direct U.S. government treasury obligations having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from:
· the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities not held in the trust account, which initially will be approximately $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in working capital after the payment of approximately $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in expenses relating to this offering; and
|
· any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units. |
Conditions to completing our initial business combination | Nasdaq rules and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account). 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 (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will 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 the target’s assets or prospects. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding share capital, 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 the 80% of net assets test described above, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the aggregate value of all of the target businesses will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% fair market value test and we will treat the transactions together as our initial business combination for purposes of seeking shareholder approval or conducting a tender offer, as applicable. |
28
We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the aggregate value of all of target business will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% net assets test and we will treat the transactions together as our initial business combination for purposes of seeking shareholder approval or conducting a tender offer, as applicable. | |
Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. See “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will not make any purchases if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
|
29
Additionally, in the event our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
· our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares, rights or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
· if our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process;
· our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
· our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and
· we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our shareholder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items:
· the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates, along with the purchase price;
· the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates;
· the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved;
· The identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates; and |
30
· the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer.
Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire securities.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (i) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or (ii) 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 securities 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 securities or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. Please see “Risk Factors” — “If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of or securities.” | |
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) 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 calculated 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial shareholders, 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, private placement securities and public shares they hold and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
The non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the nonmanaging sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders with respect to, among other things, approval of a business combination or the exercise of redempotion rights because of their ownership of a substantial portion of the public shares and their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus. |
Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer.
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. |
31
Asset acquisitions and 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 outstanding Class A ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval.
So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rules.
The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above will be contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon.
If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a shareholder meeting, we will:
· conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and
· file proxy materials with the SEC.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, passed by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. In accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, a quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our initial shareholders will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement securities and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, 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 founder shares and private shares, we would need 502,143 or 2.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming only a quorum is present at the meeting, the overallotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares). Assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and private shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. 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 passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. 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. 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, passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares represented in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company and are voted at a general meeting of the company. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. |
32
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:
· conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
· file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
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 the number of shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
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.
We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The 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 indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. 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 or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares.
Our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. 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. 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 forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements. |
33
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote | Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent.
We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our 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 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. |
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business Combination | On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used 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 the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital or other purposes.
|
34
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only the duration of the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we will, 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 (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations, and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment for the public shares and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating or other distributions, if any), subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 24- month time period. |
Our initial shareholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. |
35
However, if our initial shareholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time frame.
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
Our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement, 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described above under “Limitations on redemptions.” For example, our board of directors may propose such an amendment if it determines that additional time is necessary to complete our initial business combination.
In such event, we will conduct a proxy solicitation and distribute proxy materials pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act seeking shareholder approval of such proposal, and in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon shareholder approval of such amendment. | |
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon amendment of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association | If we seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) upon the approval of 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein.
|
36
Limited payments to insiders | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, 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, officers or directors 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) without shareholder approval. However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, and, if made prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account:
· Repayment of up to an aggregate of $180,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
· reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and
· repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units, including as to exercisability and exercise price. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. |
37
Audit Committee | We will establish and maintain an audit committee. Among its responsibilities, the audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates and monitor compliance with the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled “Management —Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” |
Conflicts of interest | Our officers and directors presently and in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. In addition, our officers, [_] and [_], and directors, [_] and [_], are members of our sponsor and own membership interests of our sponsor. The remaining membership interests are held by third party investors that are not affiliated with members of our management. |
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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. The purpose for the surrender of corporate opportunities is to allow officers, directors or other representatives with multiple business affiliations to continue to serve as an officer of our company or on our board of directors. Our officers and directors may from time to time be presented with opportunities that could benefit both another business affiliation and us. In the absence of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our charter, certain candidates would not be able to serve as an officer or director. We believe we substantially benefit from having representatives who bring significant, relevant and valuable experience to our management, and, as a result, the inclusion of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide us with greater flexibility to attract and retain the officers and directors that we feel are the best candidates. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, 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. Further, other than the companies named under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” none of our management teams’ business affiliations are actively engaged in the business of acquiring a company. |
38
Mr. Baqar and Mr. Swets are, respectively, the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs. In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors or any of their affiliates may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. Other than FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., which are special purposes acquisition companies that are affiliated with our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Baqar, as discussed under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” the other entities to which our officers and directors currently owe fiduciary duties or contractual obligations are not themselves in the business of engaging in business combinations. While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, Mr. Baqar, to the extent that he is presented with opportunities that could benefit a SPAC, plans to give the first suitable transaction opportunity to this company, the second suitable transaction opportunity to FG Merger II Corp. and the third suitable transcation opportunity to FG Merger III Corp., which is the sequence in which such entities are expected to become public. If Mr. Baqar is involved in any other subsequent blank check companies in the future, Mr. Baqar plans to give priority with respect to transaction opportunities first to this company, second to FG Merger II Corp. and third to FG Merger III Corp. Our sponsor, Chief Executive Officer and board of directors are not involved in a fiduciary capacity with, nor have any contractual obligations to, any other special purpose acquisition company (including FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp). While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, we expect that our company will have priority over any other special purpose acquisition companies (if any) subsequently formed by our sponsor, officers or directors with respect to acquisition opportunities until we complete our initial business combination or enter into a contractual agreement that would restrict our ability to engage in material discussions regarding a potential initial business combination. We expect this company to have priority with respect to such acquisition opportunities because our goal is to complete a business combination with a strong target company, as we did in Aldel I, and build a track record which includes the successful completion of our initial business combination before turning to other potential opportunities in the market for subsequently formed special purpose acquisition companies. As a result of the foregoing, we do not believe that any potential conflicts from our management team’s other business or investment ventures would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. | |
Our officers and directors presently and in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers, and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, or directors. Such affiliated person(s) 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 and in negotiating or accepting the terms of the transaction as such affiliated person(s) would have interests different from our public shareholders and would likely not receive any financial benefit unless we consummated such business combination. We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors or non-managing sponsor investors.
Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” As discussed in this prospecus, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain a waiver of the corporate opportunity doctrine. Our officers and directors may from time to time be presented with opportunities that could benefit both another business affiliation and us. Such affiliated 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 substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities or the non-managing sponsor investors, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Business Combination Criteria” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors.
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Since in addition to the public units that will be purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the non-managing sponsor investors will have interests in the founder shares indirectly through their membership interests in the sponsor, the non-managing sponsor investors will have the potential to realize enhanced economic returns from their investment as compared to other investors purchasing public units in this offering. In addition, while the private placement securities are identical to the securities sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus, the private placement warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis. As a result, the sponsor may profit at times when an unaffiliated security holder cannot profit, such as when the public warrants are called for redemption or if the sponsor chooses to utilize the cashless exercise option under circumstances where the public warranholders cannot exercise on a cashless basis. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the founder shares and private placement securities may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Further, each of the members of our management team may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such person was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. | |
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, 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 amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) 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 $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, 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 business. |
39
Risks
We are a blank check company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues to date. 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 “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 entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
Summary of Risk Factors
An investment in our securities 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:
· We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
· Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
· Your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
40
· If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
· The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
· The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares and the amount of deferred underwriting compensation may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure, and may substantially dilute your investment in us.
· The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the duration of the completion window may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which 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.
· Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by events that are outside of our control, such as increased geopolitical unrest, pandemic outbreaks (such as COVID-19), and volatility in the debt and equity markets.
· If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
· 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 submitting or tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
· 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 or force us to abandon our efforts to complete 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.
· You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
· Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
· 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 consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.
· The 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 $10.05 per share.
41
· You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
· 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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
· If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window, it could limit the amount of cash available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
· Past performance by our management team and their affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.
· We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
· We may reincorporate in or transfer by way of continuation to another jurisdiction which may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
· An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.
· If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), it is possible a U.S. federal excise tax could be imposed on us in connection with any redemptions of our ordinary shares after or in connection with such initial business combination.
· In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially, potentially resulting in 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.
· Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders and warrant holders. As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.
· The other risk factors and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.
42
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, 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 if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Except for as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. 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 a majority of our public shareholders do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section 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, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our initial shareholders will own approximately 21% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units). Our initial shareholders and management team also may from time-to-time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, if we seek shareholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the voted at such meeting of the company. As a result, assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their ordinary shares at a general meeting of the company, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. 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 passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial shareholders and management team 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 effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
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 a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding our initial 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 amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters is not currently required to be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commission.
43
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination.
Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would not allow us to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares and the amount of deferred underwriting compensation may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure, and may substantially dilute your investment in us.
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 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. 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 provision of the Class B ordinary shares results 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 initial business combination. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. As a result, our obligations to redeem public shares for which redemption is requested and to pay the deferred underwriting commissions 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 above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure and may result in substantial dilution from your purchase of our Class A ordinary shares. The effect of this dilution will be greater for shareholders who do not redeem. The amount of the deferred underwriting compensation payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination, which may further dilute your investment. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting compensation and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting compensation. We may not be able to generate sufficient value from the completion of our initial business combination in order to overcome the dilutive impact of these and other factors, and, accordingly, you may incur a net loss on your investment. Please see “— Risks Relating to Our Securities — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
44
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 funds in the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with your exercise of redemption rights 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 completion window may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which 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 a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation. 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.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by events that are outside of our control, such as increased geopolitical unrest, pandemic outbreaks (such as COVID-19), and volatility in the debt and equity markets.
Our ability to find a potential target business and the business of any potential business with which we may consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected by events that are outside of our control. For example, geopolitical unrest (such as the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the military conflict in Israel and Gaza), including war, terrorist activity and acts of civil or international hostility are increasing. In particular, although the length, impact and outcome of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine and the recent armed conflict between Israel and Hamas is highly unpredictable, these conflicts could lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage.
45
Similarly other events outside of our control, including natural disasters, climate-related events pandemic or heal crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) may arise from time to time, any such events may cause significant volatility and declines in the global markets, disproportionate impacts to certain industries or sectors, disruptions to commerce (including to economic activity, travel and supply chain), loss of life and property damage, and may adversely affect the global economy or capital markets, and the business of any potential target business with which we may consummate a business combination and could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by these and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable or at all.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within the completion window. 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, we will: 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 (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions or other distributions, if any), subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
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, and the warrants may be worthless.
We have until the end of the completion window 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. In such event, the warrants may be worthless.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. 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.
46
In the event that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors 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.
Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, 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, rights or warrants in such transactions.
The purpose of any such transactions could be to (i) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or (ii) 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 securities may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. 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 sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
· our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
· if our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process;
· our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
· our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; ;
· we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items;
47
· the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, along with the purchase price;
· the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates;
· the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved;
· the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; and
· the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer.
Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire securities.
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 proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy materials or tender offer documents, 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 submit public shares for redemption. For example, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent, or to deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Manner of Conducting Redemptions.”
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 securities are intended to be used to complete one or more initial business combinations with a target business or businesses that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our respective initial business combinations than do companies subject to Rule 419.
48
Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you may lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% 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 amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
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 their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar or greater technical, human and other resources to ours or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities, 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, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
49
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available 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 targets 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.
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 and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form 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 increases 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.
If the net proceeds of this offering not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering, only $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window; 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 or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent 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.
In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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 $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units. 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 complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.05 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
50
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 $10.05 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 (except for our independent registered public accounting firm), 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 consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. The underwriters of this offering as well as our registered independent public accounting firm 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 $10.05 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit 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 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 other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) 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 $10.05 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, 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 we 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. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.05 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
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) $10.05 per share and 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 $10.05 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.05 per share.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.05 per public share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination and may at any time be held as cash or cash items, including in demand deposit accounts at a bank. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income (less taxes payable, if any, and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.05 per public share.
51
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 the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy 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, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
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 estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination or force us to abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
· restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
· restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
· registration as an investment company;
· adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
· reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
52
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless it can qualify for an exclusion, a company must ensure that it is engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that its activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.
The SEC recently provided guidance that the determination of whether a special purpose acquisition company, like us, is an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act is a facts and circumstances determination requiring individualized analysis and depends on a variety of factors, including a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose and activities, and “is a question of facts and circumstances” requiring individualized analysis. When applying these factors to us we do not believe that our principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the Company was formed for the purpose of completing an initial business combination with one or more businesses. Our business will be focused on identifying and completing an initial business combination, and thereafter, operating the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. Further, we do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale and we do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor. In addition, the proceeds held in the trust account will only be held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form 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 increases 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. Pursuant to the investment management trust agreement, the trustee will not be permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds in this manner, and by focusing our directors’ and officers’ time toward, and operating our business for the purpose of, acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund or investing in assets for the purpose of achieving investment returns on such assets), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. Further, investing in our securities is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. Instead, the trust account will be intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (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 redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within the completion window, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as described above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. Notwithstanding that we have limited our activities as described above, we could nevertheless be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company. If our facts and circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure in future filings with the SEC to reflect how those changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company.
If we were deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we would need to register as such under the Investment Company Act and compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. We may also be forced to abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination, and instead be required to liquidate the trust account and may be required to change our operations or wind down our operations. In which case, our investors would not be able to realize the benefits of owning shares in a successor operating business, including the potential appreciation in the value of our securities following such a transaction, and our warrants would expire worthless.
53
If we were deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. We may also be forced to abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead be required to liquidate the trust account. If we are required to liquidate the trust account, our investors would not be able to realize the benefits of owning shares in a successor operating business, including the potential appreciation in the value of our securities following such a transaction, and our warrants would expire worthless. On the liquidation of our trust account, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. Changes in laws or regulations or in how such laws or regulations are interpreted or applied, 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 rules and regulations enacted by various national, regional and local governing bodies, including for example, the SEC, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly and our efforts to comply with such new and evolving 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, In addition, these changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations.
On January 24, 2024, the SEC adopted a series of new rules, effective as of July 1, 2024, 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; (iv) amendments to the financial statement requirements applicable to business combination transactions involving SPACs; and (v) 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 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 related 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.
This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. A failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations and any subsequent changes, 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.
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 our company to claims, 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. 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 approximately $18,293 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’s 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 Nadsaq. 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 three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term.
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.
Our efforts to identify a prospective initial business combination target will not be limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic region. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prohibit us from effectuating a 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.
54
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 units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target.
Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders or warrant holders 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 materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may not be required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from a valuation or appraisal firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the consideration we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) entity or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the consideration we are paying is fair to our company 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.
55
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers 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 is payable on demand;
· our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
· our inability to pay dividends on our Class A 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 Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
· limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
· increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
· limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the private placement of units will provide us with $193,500,000 (or $222,525,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $7,500,000, or up to $8,625,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account, and excluding approximately $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) held outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements).
56
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. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
· solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or
· dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our 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 a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association do not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their 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 business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares in connection with such initial business combination, 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.
57
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. 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 past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination. To the extent any such amendment would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
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 holders of not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other special purpose acquisition companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by special resolution, under Cayman Islands law passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or represented by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 21% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units and assuming they do not purchase any units 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-business combination behavior more easily than some other special purpose acquisition companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees 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 in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. 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, directors or director nominees 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.
58
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without shareholder approval.
Each of the agreements related to this offering to which we are a party, other than the warrant agreement and the investment management trust agreement, may be amended without shareholder approval. Such agreements are: the underwriting agreement; the letter agreement among us and our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors; the registration rights agreement among us and our initial shareholders; the private units purchase agreement between us, our sponsor and BTIG; the OTM Warrant purchase agreement between us and our sponsor, and the administrative services agreement among us, our sponsor and an affiliate of our sponsor. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the founder shares, private placement securities and other securities held by our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement. Any amendment entered into in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to such initial business combination, and any other material amendment to any of our material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments would not require approval from our shareholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For example, amendments to the lock-up provision discussed above may result in our initial shareholders selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
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 with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with a market capitalization of between $1 billion and $5 billion. 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 any redemption by public shareholders, 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, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. 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.
59
Our initial shareholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. This potential concentration of influence could be disadvantageous to other shareholders with interests different from those of our sponsor. To the extent that any non-managing sponsor investors acquire membership interests in the sponsor, they will have no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by the sponsor. In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands. This provision of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than 90% of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at our general meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
If our initial shareholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial shareholders purchase any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither our initial shareholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our 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, our board of directors, whose members were appointed by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term for three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual or extraordinary general meeting 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 business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for appointment and our initial shareholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination since such initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirement, including foreign investment regulations and review by government entities such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), or 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 approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares following this offering. Our sponsor is exclusively “controlled” for CFIUS purposes by Robert I. Kauffman, 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 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. Additionally, our warrants may be worthless.
60
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 the proxy statement with respect to the vote on an initial business combination include historical and pro forma financial statement disclosure. 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 (“GAAP”), or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“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) (“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 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, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, 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 business combination.
61
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 intend 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 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 our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we 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.
Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders and warrant holders. As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.
Although we will attempt to structure our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to any requisite shareholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires shareholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes, effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a shareholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares or warrants received. Shareholders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.
In addition, we may effect a business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such a business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions.
Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
Subsequent to our 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 the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct 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 or thereafter. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of our securities. Such shareholders or warrant holders 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 materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
62
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase substantially all of the units in this offering, which could reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity for our shares, adversely affect the trading price of our shares.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $98,600,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). There are 10 non-managing sponsor investors and the total maximum percentage of the offering for which there are indications of interest is 49.3%. None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, each of the non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase fewer or no units in this offering or the underwriter may determine to sell fewer or no units to the nonmanaging sponsor investors. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. We do not expect any purchase of units by the non-managing sponsor investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements.
Although we have no knowledge of any affiliation or other agreement or arrangement, as to voting of our securities or otherwise, among the non-managing sponsor investors, if such investors all elect to purchase the full amount of our units described herein and so long as they hold a substantial portion of the units purchased, the sponsor and the non-managing sponsor investors would collectively own a significant number of our shares. Therefore, in the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase the full amount of units described herein, continue to hold the shares included in the units and individually decide to vote such shares in favor of our initial business combination, we would not need any additional public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination to have our initial business combination approved.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.05 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 $0.004 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 $193,500,000 (following payment of $7,500,000 of deferred underwriting commissions), which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account 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, as well as the value of our public and private placement warrants.
Public shares | 20,000,000 | |||
Founder shares | 5,357,143 | |||
Private Shares | 640,000 | |||
Total shares | 25,997,143 | |||
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination | $ | 201,000,000 | ||
Public shareholders’ investment per Class A ordinary share(1) | $ | 10.00 | ||
Sponsor’s investment per Class B ordinary share(2) | $ | 0.004 | ||
Initial implied value per public share | $ | 10.00 | ||
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination(3) | $ | [_] |
(1) | While the public shareholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only. |
(2) | The total investment in the equity of the company by the sponsor, the non-managing sponsor investors and BTIG is $6,525,000 (or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), consisting of (i) $25,000 paid by the sponsor for the founder shares, (ii) $453,330 (or $450,720 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) paid by the sponsor for 45,333 private units (or 45,072 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), (iii) $3,946,670 (or $4,324,280 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) paid by the non-managing sponsor investors for 394,667 private units (or 432,428 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), (iv) $2,000,000 (or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) paid by BTIG for 200,000 private units (or 230,000 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), (v) $53,333.30 (or $50,724.60 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) paid by the non-managing sponsor investors for 533,333 OTM Warrants (or 507,246 OTM Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (vi) $46,666.70 (or $49,275.40if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) paid by the sponsor for 466,667 OTM Warrants (or 492,754 OTM Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). For purposes of this table, the full investment amount is ascribed to the founder shares only. |
(3) | All founder shares would automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon completion of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder. |
63
Based on these assumptions, each Class A ordinary share would have an implied value of $[_] per share upon completion of our initial business combination, representing an approximately [_]% decrease from the initial implied value of $10.05 per public share. While the implied value of $[_] 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 $[_] per Class A ordinary share, the 5,357,143 Class A ordinary shares that the sponsor would own upon completion of our initial business combination (after automatic conversion of the 5,357,143 founder shares) would have an aggregate implied value of $[_]. 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 $[_] 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. The non-managing sponsor investors will share in any appreciation of the founder shares through their membership interests in the sponsor if we successfully complete a business combination. Accordingly, nonmanaging sponsor investors’ interests in the founder shares owned by them indirectly through their membership interests in the sponsor may provide them with an incentive to vote any public shares they own in favor of a business combination, and make a substantial profit on such interests, even if the business combination is with a target that ultimately declines in value and is not profitable for other public shareholders.
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.
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 at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.
Upon the closing of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise the underwriters’ option, our initial shareholders will have invested in us an aggregate of $6,525,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares, the $6,400,000 purchase price for the private units, and the $100,000 purchase price for the OTM Warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.05 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 5,357,143 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $[_]. Even if the trading price of our ordinary shares were as low as approximately $[_] per share, and the private placement warrants are worthless, the value of the founder shares and private placement shares would be equal to our sponsor’s aggregate initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to make a substantial profit on its investment in us at a time when our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, members of our management team, who own interests in our sponsor, may be more willing to pursue a business combination with a riskier 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. In addition, the non-managing sponsor investors will share in any appreciation of the founder shares through their membership interests in the sponsor if we successfully complete a business combination. Accordingly, nonmanaging sponsor investors’ interests in the founder shares owned by them indirectly through their membership interests in the sponsor may provide them with an incentive to vote any public shares they own in favor of a business combination, and make a substantial profit on such interests, even if the business combination is with a target that ultimately declines in value and is not profitable for other public shareholders.
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 only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
64
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. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. 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 our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’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 or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders or warrant holders 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.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition 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 acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
65
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our 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 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 business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. 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 outstanding share capital 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 Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A 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 may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
Risks Relating to Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
If we pursue a target company 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.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, 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;
66
· 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;
· protection of intellectual property;
· social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
· regime changes and political upheaval;
· terrorist attacks, natural disasters, widespread health emergencies 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.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
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.
67
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 reincorporate in or 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 relocate the home jurisdiction of our business 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.
Risks Relating to our Management Team
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive 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.
68
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result, certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. This 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 board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain persons were, are now, or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings relating to the business affairs of such companies or transactions entered into by such companies.
Members of our management team and affiliated companies may have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business.
Members of our management team have been (and intend to be) involved in a wide variety of businesses. Such involvement has, and may lead to, media coverage and public awareness. As a result, members of our management team and affiliated companies may have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business. However, there is no such material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending, resolved or completed against any members of our management team and affiliated companies, and we are not aware of any such matters that are threatened or may otherwise arise in the future. However, any such claims or investigations may be detrimental to our reputation and could negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
Past performance by our management team and their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team or businesses associated with them is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management team’s or businesses associated with them as indicative of our future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company. 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 of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination 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 ascertain or assess adequately all of the relevant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
69
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their loss, or a reduction in the amount of time they can dedicate to our initial business combination, could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors and our senior advisor. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers, directors and members of our advisory board, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our executive 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 executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. If our executive 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. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, 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. Further, other than the companies named under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” none of our management teams’ business affiliations are actively engaged in the business of acquiring a company. For a complete discussion of our executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Officers, Directors and Director Nominees.”
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including blank check companies, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and our officers and directors are, and in the future may become, affiliated with such entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business. We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses. Our officers and directors presently and any in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
Our officers and directors presently and in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. In addition, our officers, [_] and [_], and directors, [_] and [_], are members of our sponsor and own membership interests of our sponsor. The remaining membership interests are held by third party investors that are not affiliated with members of our management. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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. The purpose for the surrender of corporate opportunities is to allow officers, directors or other representatives with multiple business affiliations to continue to serve as an officer of our company or on our board of directors. Our officers and directors may from time to time be presented with opportunities that could benefit both another business affiliation and us. In the absence of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our charter, certain candidates would not be able to serve as an officer or director. We believe we substantially benefit from having representatives who bring significant, relevant and valuable experience to our management, and, as a result, the inclusion of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide us with greater flexibility to attract and retain the officers and directors that we feel are the best candidates. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, 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. Further, other than the companies named under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” none of our management teams’ business affiliations are actively engaged in the business of acquiring a company.
70
Mr. Baqar and Mr. Swets are, respectively, the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs. In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors or any of their affiliates may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. Other than FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., which are special purposes acquisition companies that are affiliated with our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Baqar, as discussed under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” the other entities to which our officers and directors currently owe fiduciary duties or contractual obligations are not themselves in the business of engaging in business combinations. While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, Mr. Baqar, to the extent that he is presented with opportunities that could benefit a SPAC, plans to give the first suitable transaction opportunity to this company, the second suitable transaction opportunity to FG Merger II Corp. and the third suitable transcation opportunity to FG Merger III Corp., which is the sequence in which such entities are expected to become public. If Mr. Baqar is involved in any other subsequent blank check companies in the future, Mr. Baqar plans to give priority with respect to transaction opportunities first to this company, second to FG Merger II Corp. and third to FG Merger III Corp. Our sponsor, Chief Executive Officer and board of directors are not involved in a fiduciary capacity with, nor have any contractual obligations to, any other special purpose acquisition company (including FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp). While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, we expect that our company will have priority over any other special purpose acquisition companies (if any) subsequently formed by our sponsor, officers or directors with respect to acquisition opportunities until we complete our initial business combination or enter into a contractual agreement that would restrict our ability to engage in material discussions regarding a potential initial business combination. We expect this company to have priority with respect to such acquisition opportunities because our goal is to complete a business combination with a strong target company, as we did in Aldel I, and build a track record which includes the successful completion of our initial business combination before turning to other potential opportunities in the market for subsequently formed special purpose acquisition companies. As a result of the foregoing, we do not believe that any potential conflicts from our management team’s other business or investment ventures would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
For a complete discussion of our executive officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management — Officers, Directors and Director Nominees,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our executive officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, 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. Further, other than the companies named under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” none of our management teams’ business affiliations are actively engaged in the business of acquiring a company.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. See the section titled “Description of Securities-Certain Differences in Corporate Law-Shareholder Suits” for further information on the ability to bring such claims. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
71
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, or directors , or pursue a business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or non-managing sponsor investors, which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers, and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, or directors. Such affiliated person(s) 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 and in negotiating or accepting the terms of the transaction as such affiliated person(s) would have interests different from our public shareholders and would likely not receive any financial benefit unless we consummated such business combination. We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or non-managing sponsor investors. The non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have conflicts of interests with our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units, which conflicts would be heightened if we pursue a business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or non-managing sponsor investors.
Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Business Combination Criteria” 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 which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates 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. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors, any other holder of our founder shares, including any non-managing sponsor investors may lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On July 19, 2024, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 13, 2024, the Sponsor transferred 690,000 founder shares to our officers, director nominees, senior advisor, and FG Merchant Partner LP, resulting in the Sponsor holding 5,060,000 founder shares. On September 25, 2024, the Sposor purchased an additional 410,714 founder shares for $0.004 per share, resulting in our initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 6,160,714 founder shares (5,470,714 of which are held by the Sponsor). Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued.
The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation at the time that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent approximately 21% of the outstanding shares after this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units). Up to 803,571 of the founder shares will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and BTIG have committed to purchase an aggregate of 640,000 private units (if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, 707,500 private units) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of those 640,000 private units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 440,000 private units (or 477,500 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). BTIG has agreed to purchase 200,000 private units (or 230,000 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Further, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 1,000,000 OTM Warrants, exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $15.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.10 per OTM Warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors have indicated an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of membership interests of our sponsor, (i) an aggregate of 394,667 private units (or 432,428 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($3,946,670 in the aggregate, or $4,324,280 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering and (ii) an aggregate of 533,333 OTM Warrants (or 507,246 OTM Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.10 per warrant ($53,333.30 in the aggregate, or $50,724.60 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in private placements that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
72
The personal and financial interests of our executive 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. This risk may become more acute as the end of the completion window nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders with respect to, among other things, approval of a business combination or the exercise of redempotion rights because of their ownership of a substantial portion of the public shares and their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus.
Risks Relating to our Securities
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if our plan to redeem our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window for any reason, compliance with Cayman Islands law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing shareholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond the completion window before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be separately listed on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market value of listed securities (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (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 securities on Nasdaq. For instance, unless we decide to list on a different Nasdaq tier such as Nasdaq Capital Market which has different initial listing requirements, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, the market value of our listed securities would be required to be at least $75,000,000, the market value of our unrestricted publicly held shares would be required to be at least $20,000,000 and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our securities, with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
73
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
· | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; | |
· | reduced liquidity for our securities; | |
· | a determination that our 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 securities; | |
· | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and | |
· | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a post- effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
74
If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.
If our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws.
You may only be able to exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis” under certain circumstances, and if you do so, you will receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The warrant agreement provides that in the following circumstances holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do for cash and will, instead, be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act: (i) if the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement; if we have so elected and the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act; and (iii) if we have so elected and we call the public warrants for redemption. If you exercise your public warrants on a cashless basis, you would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined in the next sentence) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
75
Potential participation in this offering by our non-managing sponsor investors could reduce the public float for our securities.
Our non-managing sponsor investors have indicated an interest to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately $98,600,000 of the units offered in this offering at the initial public offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). These indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase. As a result, such parties could determine to purchase less or no units in this offering, or the underwriter could determine to sell less or no units to them. If our non-managing sponsor investors are not allocated all or a portion of the units in which it has indicated an interest in this offering, and it purchases any such units, such purchase or purchases could reduce the available public float for our securities if such parties hold these securities long-term.
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders and holders of our private placement securities 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 an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, at or after the time of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares. In addition, the holders of the private placement securities (and underlying securities) may demand that we register the resale of such private placement securities and the underlying securities. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our 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 ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders or their permitted transferees, and holders of our private placement securities (and underlying securities) are registered for resale.
We may issue additional Class A 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 founder 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 authorize the issuance of up to 479,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 453,002,857 and 14,642,857 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 803,571 Class B ordinary shares) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. The Class B ordinary shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
76
We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A 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 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 as set forth therein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares 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 a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares; |
· | 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; |
· | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A 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 adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and |
· | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Our initial shareholders paid an aggregate of $25,000 or approximately $0.004 per founder share and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares 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 closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units or the OTM Warrants, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 22.2% or $2.224 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book deficit per share after this offering of $0.076 (assuming maximum redemption scenario) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. 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.
77
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or share (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described below under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Warrants — Redemption of warrants for cash” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem all of the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A ordinary shares and equity- linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination as described elsewhere in this prospectus) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption. We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day measurement period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which warrants were offered by us in this offering.. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (1) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
78
Our warrants 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.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or up to 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the warrants offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement (i) an aggregate of 640,000 private units, which include 320,000 private warrants, and (ii) an aggregate of 1,000,000 OTM Warrants. In addition, if our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors makes any working capital loans, such lender may convert those loans into up to an additional 150,000 private units, which include 75,000 warrants, at the price of $10.00 per unit.
To the extent we issue ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, 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 business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other special purpose acquisition companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if it included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. With respect to any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, we note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
79
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. This choice-of-forum provision may also result in increased costs for a warrant holder to pursue claims under our warrant agreement. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
The determination of the offering price of our units, the size of this offering and terms of the units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:
· the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
· prior offerings of those companies;
· our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;
· a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
· our capital structure;
· 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 size, price and terms of the units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
80
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 shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Forbes Hare, 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.
General Risk Factors
We are a blank check 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 blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands 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. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
81
Past performance by our management team, our advisors and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.
Information regarding our management team, our advisors and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance by our management team, our advisors and their respective affiliates and the businesses with which they have been associated, is not a guarantee that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination, that we will be able to provide positive returns to our shareholders, or of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical experiences of our management team, our advisors and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or as indicative of every prior investment by each of the members of our management team, our advisors or their respective affiliates. The market price of our securities may be influenced by numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, and our shareholders may experience losses on their investment in our securities.
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.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse United States 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 or warrants, 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 the status of an acquired company pursuant to a business combination and 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”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. In addition, our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for any taxable year.
Moreover, 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 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, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
82
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, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one warrant included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. In addition, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the number of ordinary shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant could give rise to dividend income to U.S. Holders (as defined in section titled “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”) without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary 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 Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances when acquiring, owning or disposing of our securities.
We may reincorporate in or transfer by way of continuation to another jurisdiction which may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise, subject to requisite shareholder approval by special resolution under the Companies Act (with respect to which only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote), reincorporate in or 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 or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder 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 or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation or continuance.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), it is possible a U.S. federal excise tax could be imposed on us in connection with any redemptions of our ordinary shares after or in connection with such initial business combination.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which, among other things, imposes a 1% U.S. federal excise tax on certain repurchases (including redemptions) of shares by publicly traded U.S. corporations after December 31, 2022 (the “Excise Tax”), subject to certain exceptions. If applicable, the amount of the Excise Tax is generally 1% of the aggregate fair market value of any shares repurchased by the corporation during a taxable year, net of the aggregate fair market value of certain new share issuances by the repurchasing corporation during the same taxable year. The Biden administration has proposed increasing the Excise Tax rate from 1% to 4%; however, it is unclear whether such a change will be enacted and, if enacted, how soon it could take effect.
As a Cayman Islands exempted company, the Excise Tax is currently not expected to apply to redemptions of our ordinary shares (absent any regulations or other additional guidance that may be issued in the future).
83
However, in connection with an initial business combination involving a company organized under the laws of a state of the United States, it is possible that we domesticate and continue as a corporation organized under the laws of a state of the United States prior to certain redemptions. Because we expect that, following such a domestication, our securities would continue to trade on a national securities exchange, in such a case, we could be subject to the Excise Tax with respect to any subsequent redemptions (including redemptions in connection with an extension vote or the initial business combination). Whether and to what extent we would be subject to the Excise Tax in connection with a business combination, extension vote or otherwise would depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the business combination, extension vote or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a business combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a business combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a business combination but issued within the same taxable year of a business combination) and (iv) the content of final regulations and other additional guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. On June 28, 2024, the Treasury finalized certain of the proposed regulations (those relating to procedures for reporting and paying the excise tax). The remaining regulations (largely relating to the computation of the excise tax) remain in proposed form. The Treasury intends to finalize these proposed regulations at a later date and, until such time, taxpayers may continue to rely on the proposed regulations.
Any Excise Tax that becomes payable as a result of any redemptions of our ordinary shares (or other shares into which such ordinary shares may be converted) would be payable by us and not by the redeeming holder. However, we will not use the proceeds placed in the trust account, or the interest earned on the proceeds placed in the trust account, to pay for possible excise tax or any other fees or taxes that may be levied on the Company on any redemptions or share buybacks by the Company pursuant to any current, pending or further rules or laws, including without limitation any Excise Tax, prior to release of such funds from the trust account following our initial business combination. To the extent the Excise Tax is applicable, the amount of cash available to transfer to the target business in connection with our initial business combination may be reduced, which could result in our inability to meet conditions in the agreement relating to our initial business combination related to a minimum cash requirement, if any, or otherwise result in the shareholders of the combined company (including any of our shareholders who do not exercise their redemption rights in connection with the initial business combination) to economically bear the impact of the Excise Tax. Consequently, the Excise Tax may make a transaction with us less appealing to potential business combination targets. Finally, subject to certain exceptions, the Excise Tax should not apply in the event of our complete liquidation.
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 or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls 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 securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
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.
84
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals to or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th. 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.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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 will 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 will 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 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’ 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.
85
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
· | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
· | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
· | our expectations around the performance of the 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 adverse impacts that events outside of our control, such as increased geopolitical unrest, significant outbreaks of infectious diseases (such as COVID-19) and increased volatility in the dent and equity markets, may have on out ability to consummate an initial business combination; |
· | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
· | the lack of a market for our securities; |
· | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
· | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or |
· | our financial performance following this offering; |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors”. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
In addition, statements that contain “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this prospectus. Although we believe that this information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, this information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.
86
We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement securities will be used as set forth in the following table:
Without Over-Allotment Option | Over-Allotment Option Exercised | |||||||
Gross proceeds | ||||||||
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | $ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
Gross proceeds from private placement securities offered in the private placement | 6,500,000 | 7,175,000 | ||||||
Total gross proceeds | $ | 206,500,000 | $ | 237,175,000 | ||||
Estimated offering expenses(2) | ||||||||
Underwriting commissions (1.75% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | $ | 3,500,000 | $ | 4,025,000 | ||||
Underwriter expenses, including legal fees | 75,000 | 75,000 | ||||||
Legal fees and expenses | 236,000 | 236,000 | ||||||
Accounting fees and expenses | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||||||
Printing and engraving expenses | 30,000 | 30,000 | ||||||
Initial transfer agent fee | 7,500 | 7,500 | ||||||
SEC/FINRA expenses | 88,469 | 88,469 | ||||||
Director and officer insurance | 312,000 | 312,000 | ||||||
Nasdaq listing and filing fees | 80,000 | 80,000 | ||||||
Miscellaneous expenses(4) | 5,479 | 41,479 | ||||||
Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | $ | 869,448 | $ | 905,448 | ||||
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses | $ | 202,130,552 | $ | 232,244,552 | ||||
Held in trust account(3) | $ | 201,000,000 | $ | 231,150,000 | ||||
% of public offering size | 100.50 | % | 100.50 | % | ||||
Not held in trust account(2) | $ | 1,130,552 | $ | 1,094,552 |
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of net proceeds not held in the trust account(5).
Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | |||||||||||
Legal, accounting, diligence, travel & other for target | $ | 446,552 | 39.50 | % | $ | 410,552 | 37.51 | % | ||||||
Financial reporting | $ | 64,000 | 5.66 | % | $ | 64,000 | 5.85 | % | ||||||
Stock exchange annual listing fee | $ | 140,000 | 12.38 | % | $ | 140,000 | 12.79 | % | ||||||
Administrative services fee | $ | 480,000 | 42.46 | % | $ | 480,000 | 43.85 | % | ||||||
Total | $ | 1,130,552 | 100 | % | 1,094,552 | 100 | % |
87
(1) | Includes 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 a loan from our sponsor of up to $180,000 as described in this prospectus. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that offering expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
(3) | The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.75% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,500,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or up to $8,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts used to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. |
(4) | Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates. |
(5) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an acquisition target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans, and such terms will be subject to the approval of our audit committee. 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. |
88
Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement securities be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement securities described in this prospectus, $201,000,000, or $231,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.05 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $7,500,000, or $8,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering and an aggregate of $2,000,000 to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The proceeds held in the trust account will be held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form 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 increases 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 expect that the interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay income taxes. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses, as applicable, until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital or other purposes. There is no limitation on our ability to 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 forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares on any initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated that are payable prior to the closing of our initial business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will reimburse our sponsor (and/or its affiliates or designees) an aggregate of $20,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $180,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier (i) the consummation of this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to conduct the this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses.
89
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts.
In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units issued to our sponsor. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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.
We have until the end of the completion window 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 Class A ordinary shares will be offered an opportunity 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 payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law.
90
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 following the completion of our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time and will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. There is no certainty that we will be in a position to, or decide to, pay cash dividends after completing our initial business combination. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a share dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units).
Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends following the completion of our initial business combination may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
91
The difference between the public offering price per Class A ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus, the private units or the OTM Warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private warrants and the OTM Warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share (“NTBV”) 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), as adjusted to reflect various potential redemption levels that may occur in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
The below calculations (A) assume that (i) no ordinary shares are issued to shareholders of a potential business combination target as consideration or issuable by a post-business combination company, for instance under an equity or employee share purchase plan, (ii) no ordinary shares and convertible equity or debt securities are issued in connection with additional financing that we may seek in connection with an initial business combination, (iii) no working capital loans are converted into private units, as further described in this prospectus and (iv) no value is attributed to the warrants (however, we may need to issue ordinary shares or convertible equity or debt securities in the circumstances described above, as we intend to target an initial business combination with a target company whose enterprise value is greater than the net proceeds of the offering and the sale of private units) and (B) assume the issuance of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and 6,160,714 founder shares (up to 803,571 of which are assumed to be forfeited in the scenario in which the over-allotment option is not exercised in full). Such calculations do not reflect any dilution associated with the exercise of warrants as the warrants are accounted for as equity and are only exercisable following the consummation of our initial business combination. Assuming the underwriters do not exercise their overallotment option, the following warrants will be outstanding upon closing of this offering: (i) 10,000,000 public warrants included in the units to be sold in this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), (ii) 1,000,000 OTM Warrants, and (iii) 320,000 private warrants in the private units to be sold in the private placement. Upon exercise of such warrants, we will issue an aggregate of 11,320,000, which will be subject to registration as discussed in this prospectus. Additional shares may be issued upon exercise of any private warrants underlying private units issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The assumed exercise of the warrants would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Further, the issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares may significantly dilute the equity interest of public shareholders, which dilution would even further 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.
As of July 22, 2024, our net tangible book value was $16,480, or approximately $0.003 per ordinary share. Assuming no redemptions, after giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private units and the OTM Warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at July 22, 2024 would have been $202,147,032 or $7.775 per share (or $232,261,032 or $7.776 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), assuming the max redemption, representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash, or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $0.361 per share (or $(0.076 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 $9.639 per share (or $9.924 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following tables illustrate the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units, the private units, or the OTM Warrants:
No exercise of over-allotment option | No Redemption | 25% of Maximum Redemptions | 50% of Maximum Redemptions | 75% of Maximum Redemptions | Maximum Redemptions | |||||||||||||||
Public offering price | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | ||||||||||
Net tangible book value before this offering | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.003 | |||||||||||||||
Decrease attributable to public shareholders and sale of the units | 7.773 | 7.243 | 6.383 | 4.739 | 0.358 | |||||||||||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering | 7.776 | 7.246 | 6.386 | 4.742 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||
Dilution to public shareholders | $ | 2.224 | $ | 2.754 | $ | 3.614 | $ | 5.258 | $ | 9.639 | ||||||||||
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | 22.2 | % | 27.5 | % | 36.1 | % | 52.6 | % | 96.4 | % |
92
Full exercise of over-allotment option | No Redemption | 25% of Maximum Redemptions | 50% of Maximum Redemptions | 75% of Maximum Redemptions | Maximum Redemptions | |||||||||||||||
Public offering price | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | $ | 10 | ||||||||||
Net tangible book value before this offering | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.003 | |||||||||||||||
Decrease attributable to public shareholders and sale of the units | 7.773 | 5.848 | 3.923 | 1.998 | 0.073 | |||||||||||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering | 7.776 | 5.851 | 3.926 | 2.001 | 0.076 | |||||||||||||||
Dilution to public shareholders | $ | 2.224 | $ | 4.149 | $ | 6.074 | $ | 7.999 | $ | 9.924 | ||||||||||
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | 22.2 | % | 41.5 | % | 60.7 | % | 80 | % | 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 $200,000,000 because holders 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable)), divided by the number of public 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | Price Per Share | ||||||||||||||||
Initial Shareholders(1) | 5,357,143 | 20.6 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.005 | |||||||||||
Private Shares | 640,000 | 2.5 | % | 6,400,000 | 3.10 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
Public Shareholders | 20,000,000 | 76.9 | % | 200,000,000 | 96.89 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
25,997,143 | 100.00 | % | $ | 206,425,000 | 100.00 | % |
(1) Assumes that 803,571 founder shares are forfeited after the closing of this offering in the event the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option.
93
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
No exercise of over-allotment option | No Redemption | 25% of Maximum Redemptions | 50% of Maximum Redemptions | 75% of Maximum Redemptions | Maximum Redemptions | |||||||||||||||
Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | 16,480 | 16,480 | 16,480 | 16,480 | 16,480 | |||||||||||||||
Less: Deferrend offering cost | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | ||||||||||
Plus: Deferred offering cost payable | 141,448 | 141,448 | 141,448 | 141,448 | 141,448 | |||||||||||||||
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement securities, net of expenses(1) | 202,130,552 | 202,130,552 | 202,130,552 | 202,130,552 | 202,130,552 | |||||||||||||||
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(2) | - | (50,000,000 | ) | (100,000,000 | ) | (150,000,000 | ) | (200,000,000 | ) | |||||||||||
201,147,032 | 152,147,032 | 102,147,032 | 52,147,032 | 2,147,032 | ||||||||||||||||
Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to this offering | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | |||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | (803,571 | ) | (803,571 | ) | (803,571 | ) | (803,571 | ) | (803,571 | ) | ||||||||||
Ordinary shares included in the units offered | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | |||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares included in the private units | 640,000 | 640,000 | 640,000 | 640,000 | 640,000 | |||||||||||||||
Less: Shares subject to redemption | - | (5,000,000 | ) | (10,000,000 | ) | (15,000,000 | ) | (20,000,000 | ) | |||||||||||
25,997,143 | 20,997,143 | 15,997,143 | 10,997,143 | 5,997,143 |
(1) Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $869,448 and underwriting commissions of $3,500,000 (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.”
(2) If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants 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 — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”
94
Full exercise of over-allotment option | No Redemption | 25% of Maximum Redemptions | 50% of Maximum Redemptions | 75% of Maximum Redemptions | Maximum Redemptions | |||||||||||||||
Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | 16,480 | 16,480 | 16,480 | 16,480 | 16,480 | |||||||||||||||
Less: Deferrend offering cost | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | (141,448 | ) | ||||||||||
Plus: Deferred offering cost payable | 141,448 | 141,448 | 141,448 | 141,448 | 141,448 | |||||||||||||||
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement securities, net of expenses(1) | 232,244,552 | 232,244,552 | 232,244,552 | 232,244,552 | 232,244,552 | |||||||||||||||
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(2) | - | (57,500,000 | ) | (115,000,000 | ) | (172,500,000 | ) | (230,000,000 | ) | |||||||||||
232,244,552 | 174,761,032 | 117,261,032 | 59,761,032 | 2,261,032 | ||||||||||||||||
Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to this offering | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | 6,160,714 | |||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares included in the units offered | 23,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 23,000,000 | |||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares included in the private units | 707,500 | 707,500 | 707,500 | 707,500 | 707,500 | |||||||||||||||
Less: Shares subject to redemption | - | (5,750,000 | ) | (11,500,000 | ) | (17,250,000 | ) | (23,000,000 | ) | |||||||||||
29,868,214 | 24,118,214 | 18,368,214 | 12,618,214 | 6,868,214 |
(1) Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $905,448 and underwriting commissions of $4,025,000 (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.”
(2) If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants 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 — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”
95
The following table sets forth our capitalization at July 22, 2024, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our 20,000,000 units in this offering for $200,000,000 (or $10.00 per Unit) and the sale of 640,000 private units for $6,400,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and 1,000,000 OTM Warrants for $100,000 (or $0.10 per warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option:
July 22, 2024 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
Notes payable to related party(1) | $ | 180,000 | - | |||||
Class A ordinary shares, subject to redemption, 0 and 20,000,000 shares which are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(2) | - | 200,000,000 | ||||||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted | - | - | ||||||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 479,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 640,000 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 20,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted | - | 64 | ||||||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 5,750,000 and 5,357,143 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)(5) | 575 | 536 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 24,425 | 2,154,952 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (8,520 | ) | (8,520 | ) | ||||
Total shareholders’ equity (deficit) | $ | 16,480 | 2,147,032 | |||||
Total capitalization | $ | 196,480 | 202,147,032 |
(1) Our sponsor may loan us up to $180,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of any loans made under this note out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement securities. As of July 22, 2024, we had borrowed $180,000 under the promissory note.
(2) All of the 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with our liquidation, if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with our initial business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In accordance with SEC and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require ordinary shares subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Accordingly, all of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the company’s balance sheet. Given that the 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A ordinary shares classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The resulting discount to the initial carrying value of temporary equity will be accreted upon closing the initial public offering such that the carrying value will equal the redemption value on such date. The accretion or remeasurement will be recognized as a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital).
(3) Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and forfeiture of an aggregate of 803,571 founder shares.
(4) As adjusted accumulated deficit includes the immediate accretion of the carry value of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption value.
(5) On September 25, 2024, the Sposor purchased an additional 410,714 founder shares for $0.004 per share, resulting in our initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 6,160,714 founder shares (5,470,714 of which are held by the Sponsor).
96
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on July 15, 2024 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, engaged in any substantive discussions directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with a market capitalization of between $1 billion and $5 billion.
The issuance of additional shares in connection with a 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 Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares; | |
· | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A 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 and/or warrants. |
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 outstanding; | ||
· | our inability to pay dividends on our Class A 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 expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; | |
· | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
97
· | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and | |
· | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of July 22, 2024, we had $205,000 in cash and a working capital surplus of approximately $16,480. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. 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 cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through the contribution from our sponsor of $25,000 to purchase the founder shares and up to $180,000 in loans available from our sponsor.
We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the units in this offering and the sale of the private units for an aggregate purchase price of $6,400,000 and the sale of the OTM Warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and underwriting commissions of $3,500,000 (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,500,000, or $8,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $202,130,552 (or $232,244,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). $201,000,000 (or $231,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes the deferred underwriting commissions described above. The proceeds held in the trust account will be held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The remaining approximately $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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 $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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 (excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay our income 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 is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
98
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds to primarily 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 a business combination.
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 prior to our initial business combination. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $446,552 for accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $64,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $140,000 for Nasdaq regulatory fees; and $480,000 for administrative service fees.
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 or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In 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 securities, 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 any redemptions by public shareholders, we may 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 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 forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise. None of our sponsor, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
99
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 and no longer an emerging growth company 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 Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (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 expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent 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 securities held in the trust account will be held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
100
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of July 22, 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. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have not conducted any operations to date.
JOBS Act
The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an 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 independent registered public accounting firm’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the Chief Executive Officer’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.
101
Our Company
We are a blank check company incorporated on July 15, 2024 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, 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, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with a market capitalization of between $1 billion and $5 billion.
We may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry or at any stage of its corporate evolution. Our primary focus, however, will be in completing a business combination with an established business of scale poised for continued growth, led by a highly regarded management team. Our management team has an extensive track record of acquiring attractive assets, investing in growth while fostering financial discipline and improving business results.
Competitive Strengths
Our team, led by Robert I. Kauffman, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has decades of experience in identifying attractive risk-adjusted return investments, often created by temporary market disruptions or sector-specific changes that require adjustments to business operations or capital structures.
Our strategy is to identify a business combination that we believe can benefit from our management team’s experience and strategic guidance, thereby creating long-term value for our shareholders. We aim to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify, acquire, and manage a business with the potential for significant growth and profitability as a publicly listed company.
Our target businesses are primarily those that can benefit from becoming publicly traded, gaining access to capital markets. Our management team and board of directors have extensive experience working with investors, providing us with a competitive advantage in identifying and executing business combinations.
We will utilize the extensive network of our management team and board of directors to help source and evaluate target merger ideas. Their expertise ranges from banking, financial services, real estate and asset-based finance, as well as venture capital and growth equity investing. We believe our team has the ability to cultivate access to a broad spectrum of opportunities. In addition, we anticipate target business candidates will be brought to our attention from unaffiliated sources including investment market participants, private equity funds, and other large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
Our Management Team
We will seek to capitalize on the experience and contacts of the members of our management team. Our management team is comprised of finance, technology and investment and merchant banking leaders with senior level, multi-national operational and transactional experience drawn from top global institutions, including Fortress Investment Group LLC, UBS Group AG (NYSE: UBS), and BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK). Furthermore, the members of our management have a variety of experience and expertise in distressed debt, mergers and acquisitions, bank and securitized debt financing markets, executing initial public offerings and other equity capital markets activities, asset management, financial product development, insurance, real estate as well as experience as investors and entrepreneurs. We have completed numerous going-public, mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions with billions of dollars of deal value. Our management team also has extensive experience in operating public and private financial services companies, serving on both public and private company boards of directors, including financial institutions, insurance, and technology companies, strong knowledge and experience in financial, legal and regulatory matters, initial public offerings and private equity and venture capital.
102
We will seek to capitalize on the significant contacts and experience of our management team, including Robert I. Kauffman, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Hassan Baqar, our Chief Financial Officer, Larry Swets, our Senior Advisor, and members of our board of directors, Jonathan S. Marshall, Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Peter Early.
We believe that these networks of contacts and relationships will provide us with an important source of potential initial business combination targets. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Upon closing of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with these networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target business and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads.
Our Executive Officers and Directors
Robert I. Kauffman has served as Chief Executive Officer since August 2024. Mr. Kauffman will serve as the Chairman of the board of directors upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Kauffman was a co-founder, principal and member of the board of directors of Fortress Investment Group LLC from its founding in 1998 until 2012. During his tenure at the firm, Mr. Kauffman served as a member of Fortress’s management committee and was responsible for the management of Fortress’s European private equity investment operations. While at Fortress Mr. Kauffman was primarily focused on financial services, real estate, distressed debt restructurings, and other asset based businesses. During his career, he has been involved in a wide variety of investment activities, including private fund raising, initial public offerings, primary and secondary public share offerings in multiple jurisdictions, take private transactions, as well as billions of dollars of bank and capital market debt financings and securitizations.
Prior to co-founding Fortress, Mr. Kauffman served as a managing director at UBS, from 1997 to 1998 in its Principal Finance area. Prior to that he was a principal at BlackRock Financial Management Inc., from 1993 to 1997 playing a key role in raising and investing their first Private Equity Fund, BlackRock Asset Investors. Previously, Mr. Kauffman worked at Lehman Brothers from 1986 to 1993 primarily focused on the mortgage and securitization markets both in the US and Europe.
Since his departure from Fortress in 2012, Mr. Kauffman has brought his extensive business experience to a variety of private and public investments, including the IPO of Aldel Financial Inc. and its successful merger with Hagerty Inc (HGTY), the largest specialty insurer of collector cars.
Mr. Kauffman serves on the board of directors of Hagerty Inc, Global Net Lease Realty, a publicly traded REIT, and an advisory board member of McLaren Racing LTD., a leading UK based Formula1 racing team. Mr. Kauffman is currently the chairman of the Race Team Alliance, an association of NASCAR Cup Series teams; and the owner of RK Motors, a leading restorer and reseller of classic cars.
Mr. Kauffman is also an investor and advisory board member of Off The Chain Capital, a cryptocurrency focused hedge fund. Mr. Kauffman earned a degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in 1986.
103
Hassan R. Baqar has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since August 2024 and the Secretary since inception. Mr. Baqar has over 20 years of experience within financial services and other industries focused on corporate development, mergers & acquisitions, capital raising, investments and real estate transactions. Mr. Baqar has served as the founder and Managing Member of Sequoia Financial LLC, a management services and advisory firm, since January 2019. Mr. Baqar has also served as Chief Financial Officer from August 2021 to February 2024 and Executive Vice President from December 2021 to February 2024 of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF)) ), which operates as a diversified reinsurance, asset management, merchant banking, manufacturing and real estate holding company, as Chief Financial Officer of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd., a former Bermuda based reinsurance company from October 2017 to December 2021, as a Director of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSX: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry from August 2019 to December 2021 and as Chief Financial Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. from June 2016 to December 2020, as a Director of FG Reinsurance Ltd., a Cayman Islands reinsurance company since June 2020, as Director, Treasurer and Secretary of Sponsor Protection Coverage and Risk, Inc., a South Carolina captive insurance company from October 2022 to March 2024, and as a Director and Chief Financial Officer of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Baqar served as a Director, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U) from October 2021 to September 2024, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since September 2024, Mr. Baqar serves as Chief Financial Officer of Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since October 2023, has served as Chief Financial Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., special purpose acquisition companies in the process of completing the initial public offering.
Mr. Baqar served as a Director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU) from December 2021 to August 2023, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreconnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, and as Chief Financial Officer of Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF) from January 2021 to December 2021, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. From July 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Baqar served as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. Previously, he served as Vice President of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) (“Kingsway”) from January 2014 to January 2019 and as a Vice President of Kingsway’s subsidiary Kingsway America Inc. from January 2010 to January 2019. Mr. Baqar also served as Director and Chief Financial Officer of 1347 Capital Corp. from April 2014 to July 2016, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB). Mr. Baqar served as a member of the Board of Directors of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGF)) from October 2012 to May 2015. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of United Insurance Holdings Corp. (NYSE: UIHC), a publicly held property and casualty insurance holding company, from August 2011 to April 2012.
His previous experience also includes Director of Finance at Itasca Financial, LLC from 2008 to 2009 and positions held at Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company (a Kemper Insurance company), a diversified mutual property-casualty insurance provider, from June 2000 to April 2008, where he most recently served as a Senior Analyst. Mr. Baqar earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northeastern Illinois University in 2009 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Monmouth College in 2000. He also holds a Certified Public Accountant designation.
Our Board of Directors
Jonathan S. Marshall will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since June 2018, Mr. Marshall has served as the Executive Director of the Race Team Alliance (RTA), a 501(c)(6) organization that represents the collective interests of the race teams that compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. As Executive Director, he works closely with the leadership of the member race teams with a mandate to advance their collective interests in the sport. He has served in that role since 2018. Prior to the RTA, from [_], 2013 to [_], 2018, Mr. Marshall was the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the World Surf League (“WSL”) having joined the WSL as its General Counsel before being promoted to COO. In addition to his legal background, Mr. Marshall has a wide range of experience in the fields of media distribution, financing, licensing and sales, mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions.
104
Prior to joining WSL, from January 2011 to October 2013, Mr. Marshall was SVP, Business Development & Strategy at USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he oversaw the operations for USA TODAY High School Sports, sports digital properties and sports analytics. Prior to that, Mr. Marshall was President of Television at Westwood One. He began his professional career with the law firm, Shearman & Sterling before moving to work in the entertainment practice at Loeb & Loeb, LLP. Mr. Marshall has been a member of the California State Bar since 1988 and is a graduate of the Tulane Law School (J.D.) and the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University (B.A.). We believe Mr. Marshall is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive management expertise and legal experience.
Stuart Kovensky will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Kovensky is an experienced C-Suite executive, investor and board member with over 25 years of experience in investment management, business development, fund-raising and corporate governance. Since 2023, Mr. Kovensky has served as the Managing Member of Cogent Advisory LLC, a firm he founded and where he focuses on providing corporate advisory and director services. Between January 2006 and December 2022, Mr. Kovensky was the Co-CEO, CIO and member of the board of directors of Onex Credit Partners, a firm that he co-founded in 2006 and was subsequently sold to Onex Corp. Onex Credit Partners is a multi-strategy investor in both public and private non-investment grade credit markets with assets under management in excess of $25 billion. In his role at Onex Credit, Stuart shared responsibility for all aspects of the firms’ operations with a focus on investment management and marketing as well as business development, in which capacity he spearheaded key areas of strategic expansion that helped the firm grow significantly, both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
Prior to co-founding Onex Credit Partners, Mr. Kovensky was a Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the opportunistic credit strategy at John A. Levin and Co. from 2001-2005. From 1995-2000 he was a Partner and Head of Research at Murray Capital Management. Mr. Kovensky began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank in 1989 where he gained experience in High Yield Finance, Structured Finance and International Trade Finance. Mr. Kovensky has served on the board of directors for Naviga, Inc, Artera Services, Smile Holdings, United Road Services, CWT Travel Services and At Home Cayman, Inc. He is also an advisory board member of meetperry, inc.
Mr. Kovensky earned a degree in Management from Binghamton University in 1989 and a Masters in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1996. We believe Mr. Kovensky is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his management and financial markets and banking experience.
Meltem Demirors will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since 2024, Ms. Demirors has served as the Managing Partner of Crucible Capital, an investment firm she founded which focuses on the intersection of cryptocurrencies, physical infrastructure, and commodities markets. From 2018 to 2023, Ms. Demirors served as Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, a publicly listed European investment company specialising in digital assets, where she oversaw investments to provide institutional investors with thematic, risk-managed exposure to the emerging crypto asset ecosystem and served as managing director of the firm's US operations. From 2015 until 2018, Ms. Demirors led the Development team at Digital Currency Group, one of the largest digital asset investment firms in the world. Previously, Ms. Demirors was a strategy consultant in Deloitte's Oil & Gas practice. She is a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media and is a Program Fellow at the Oxford Saïd Business School where she has been overseeing the Blockchain Strategy Programme since 2017. Ms. Demirors holds a BA in Mathematical Economics from Rice University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. We believe that Ms. Demiror is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her experience in public companies, financial markets and management skills.
Peter Early will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since April 2024, Mr. Early has served as head business development at 1Round Table Partners (“1RT”), the largest growth equity investor focused exclusively on the blockchain space. Prior to 1RT, he served on the board of directors and lead all aspects of business development and strategy from 2019 to 2024 for Exos Financial (“Exos”), a tech-enabled institutional bank he co-founded with Brady Dougan, the former CEO of Credit Suisse, and Joe Squeri, the former CTO of Citadel. Mr. Early led the SPAC business at Exos where he advised multiple companies on their SPAC mergers and multiple sponsor teams on their SPAC IPOs. He also devised and oversaw an investment strategy that invested roughly $200m in an actively managed portfolio of listed SPACs.
105
Prior to Exos, Mr. Early served in leadership roles at SoFi Technologies, Inc., Guggenheim Partners, LLC, and Wynn Resorts, Limited and worked in trading at Bankers Trust New York Corporation and Tiger Global Management, LLC. Additionally, he helped launch three Tiger-Cub hedge funds as either the CEO/CIO or President. Mr. Early earned a BS in electrical engineering and economics from Yale University in 1991. We believe that Mr. Early is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive experience in financial services, capital markets, operational and management expertise.
Our Senior Advisor
Larry G. Swets, Jr. serves as our senior advisor. Mr. Swets has over 25 years of experience within financial services encompassing both non-executive and executive roles. Mr. Swets founded Itasca Financial LLC, an advisory and investment firm, in 2005 and has served as its managing member since inception. Mr. Swets is founder and President of Itasca Golf Managers, Inc., a management services and advisory firm focused on the real estate and hospitality industries since August 2018. Mr Swets served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U) from October 2021 to September 2024, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since September 2024, Mr. Swets serves as Executive Chairman of Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Mr. Swets has served as Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp. since September 2023, two special purpose acquisition companies in the process of completing its initial public offerings; and as Head of Merchant Banking of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) (Nasdaq: FGF) since February 2024. Mr. Swets is a member of the board of directors of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry since June 2016, and Ascension Illinois Foundation since March 2018.
Previously, Mr. Swets served as a director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreConnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, from February 2022 to August 2023, and as a director and Chief Executive Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, from July 2020 to July 2021. Mr. Swets served as Senior Advisor to Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market, from April 2021 to December 2021. Mr. Swets also served as Chief Executive Officer of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) from November 2020 to February 2024, after having served as interim CEO from June 2020 to November 2020, Chief Executive Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.) from June 2016 to June 2021, Chief Executive Officer of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from July 2010 to September 2018, including as its President from July 2010 to March 2017. He served as Chief Executive Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp., a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB), from April 2014 to July 2016. He was also a founder and served as Chairman of the Board of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Swets also previously served as a member of the board of directors of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) from November 2013 to February 2024, FG Group Holdings, Inc. from October 2021 to February 2024, Harbor Custom Development, Inc. (Nasdaq: HCDI) from February 2020 to November 2023, Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB) from July 2016 to August 2021, Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from September 2013 to December 2018, Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AFHIF) from December 2010 to January 2018, FMG Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FMGQ) from May 2007 to September 2008, United Insurance Holdings Corp. from 2008 to March 2012; and Risk Enterprise Management Ltd. from November 2007 to May 2012. Mr. Swets served as director of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd. from October 2017 to December 2021.
Prior to founding Itasca Financial LLC, Mr. Swets served as an insurance company executive and advisor, including the role of director of investments and fixed income portfolio manager for Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, formerly known as Kemper Insurance Companies. Mr. Swets began his career in insurance as an intern in the Kemper Scholar program in 1994. Mr. Swets earned a Master’s Degree in Finance from DePaul University in 1999 and a Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University in 1997. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
The past performance of our management team or their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either: (i) success with respect to any business combination we may consummate; or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their respective affiliates’ performance as indicative of any future performance.
For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the section entitled “Management.”
106
Prior SPAC Experience
Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Mr. Kauffman, served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aldel Financial Inc. (“Aldel I”), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. Mr. Kauffman also served as a senior advisor to FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT)..
Our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, Mr. Baqar, served as Chief Financial Officer of Aldel I. In addition, Mr. Baqar served as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT), as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, as Chief Financial Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp., a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB). Mr. Baqar is also the Chief Financial Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs.
Our senior advisor, Mr. Swets, served as senior advisor to Aldel I. Mr. Swets served as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Previously, Mr. Swets served as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. Mr. Baqar is also the Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to seek to acquire companies within industries that exhibit strong characteristics including, but not limited to, the following:
· | Public market-ready scale in the $1 billion - $5 billion market capitalization range; |
· | Strong management team; |
· | Current ownership that is in transition or desires liquidity; |
· | Positive cash flows prospects; |
· | Established and clear operating models; |
· | Infrastructure to handle obligations of being a public company; |
· | Long-term organic growth; |
· | Attractive competitive dynamics; |
· | Consolidation opportunities to add scale; |
These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines 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, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC.
107
Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement securities, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against an initial business combination, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the affirmative vote of at least a majority 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 are voted at a general meeting of the company. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement.
We have until the end of the completion window 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 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 payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 thereon (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.05 per public share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest or other income earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors, which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
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 the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account). 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 entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will 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 the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
108
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding share capital, 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 the 80% of net assets test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Our Business Combination Process
We believe our management team’s significant operating and transactional experience and relationships provide us with access to a substantial number of potential initial business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and relationships with private companies, investment bankers, private equity, venture capital and debt investors, high net worth families and their advisors, commercial bankers, attorneys, management consultants, accountants and other transaction intermediaries, as well as corporate sector executives and board members around the world. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, the reputation of our management team for integrity and fair dealing with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions, especially special purpose acquisition company transactions, under varying economic and financial market conditions.
In addition, we anticipate that target business combination candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information made available to us and other reviews as we deem appropriate. We may also retain consultants with expertise relating to a prospective target business.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors or non-managing sponsor investors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions stating that the consideration to be paid by us in such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
109
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers,directors and non-managing sponsor investors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers, directors and non-managing sponsor investors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Since in addition to the public units that will be purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the non-managing sponsor investors will have interests in the founder shares indirectly through their membership interests in the sponsor, the non-managing sponsor investors will have the potential to realize enhanced economic returns from their investment as compared to other investors purchasing public units in this offering. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the founder shares and private placement securities may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Further, each of the members of our management team may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such person was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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. The purpose for the surrender of corporate opportunities is to allow officers, directors or other representatives with multiple business affiliations to continue to serve as an officer of our company or on our board of directors. Our officers and directors may from time to time be presented with opportunities that could benefit both another business affiliation and us. In the absence of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our charter, certain candidates would not be able to serve as an officer or director. We believe we substantially benefit from having representatives who bring significant, relevant and valuable experience to our management, and, as a result, the inclusion of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide us with greater flexibility to attract and retain the officers and directors that we feel are the best candidates. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, 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. Further, other than the companies named under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” none of our management teams’ business affiliations are actively engaged in the business of acquiring a company.
In addition, our officers, Robert Kauffman and Hassan Baraq, and directors, [_] and [_], are members of our sponsor and own membership interests of our sponsor. The remaining membership interests are held by third party investors that are not affiliated with members of our management.
Mr. Baqar and Mr. Swets are, respectively, the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., both of which are special purpose acquisiton companies in the process of completing their IPOs. In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors or any of their affiliates may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. Other than FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., which are special purposes acquisition companies that are affiliated with our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Baqar, as discussed under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” the other entities to which our officers and directors currently owe fiduciary duties or contractual obligations are not themselves in the business of engaging in business combinations. While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, Mr. Baqar, to the extent that he is presented with opportunities that could benefit a SPAC, plans to give the first suitable transaction opportunity to this company, the second suitable transaction opportunity to FG Merger II Corp. and the third suitable transcation opportunity to FG Merger III Corp., which is the sequence in which such entities are expected to become public. If Mr. Baqar is involved in any other subsequent blank check companies in the future, Mr. Baqar plans to give priority with respect to transaction opportunities first to this company, second to FG Merger II Corp. and third to FG Merger III Corp. Our sponsor, Chief Executive Officer and board of directors are not involved in a fiduciary capacity with, nor have any contractual obligations to, any other special purpose acquisition company (including FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp). While there is no formal commitment to proceed in this manner, we expect that our company will have priority over any other special purpose acquisition companies (if any) subsequently formed by our sponsor, officers or directors with respect to acquisition opportunities until we complete our initial business combination or enter into a contractual agreement that would restrict our ability to engage in material discussions regarding a potential initial business combination. We expect this company to have priority with respect to such acquisition opportunities because our goal is to complete a business combination with a strong target company, as we did in Aldel I, and build a track record which includes the successful completion of our initial business combination before turning to other potential opportunities in the market for subsequently formed special purpose acquisition companies. As a result of the foregoing, we do not believe that any potential conflicts from our management team’s other business or investment ventures would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
110
On or prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Our sponsor does not have any agreement, arrangement or understanding with us or our officers, directors, or affiliates with respect to determining whether to proceed with a de-SPAC transaction. However, in the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement securities and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Additional Financing
We have not selected any specific business combination target but intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than what we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with a market capitalization of between $1 billion and $5 billion. 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 any redemption by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Such additional financing may be in the form of PIPE transactions or convertible debt transactions. These financing transactions would be designed to ensure a return on investment to the investor in exchange for assisting the company in completing the business combination or providing sufficient liquidity to the post-combination company. These financing transactions may be significantly dilutive to the post-combination company, and represent the type of financing risk that is not associated with traditional initial public offerings. We cannot assure you that financing will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. None of our initial shareholders, directors or officers or their affiliates are obligated to provide any such financing to us. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate.
In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our directors, officers or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
111
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $193,500,000 (assuming no redemptions), after payment of $7,500,000 of deferred underwriting fees, or $222,525,000 (assuming no redemptions) after payment of $8,625,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business 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.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
· subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and
· cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. 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.
112
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other 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 Shareholder Approval is Required | |
Purchase of assets | Yes | |
Purchase of share of target not involving a merger with the company | Yes | |
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company | Yes | |
Merger of the company with a target | Yes |
Under Nasdaq listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
· | we issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our ordinary shares then outstanding (other than in a public offering); |
· | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of ordinary shares to be issued, or if the number of ordinary shares into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of ordinary shares or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of ordinary shares or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial securityholders; or |
· | the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rule will be based on business and other reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
· | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
113
· | the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; |
· | the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
· | other time and budget constraints of the company; and |
· | additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders. |
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants 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 price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. 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 sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors 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.
Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, 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, rights or warrants in such transactions.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (i) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the shareholder meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on a negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. We expect any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchases are subject to such reporting requirements.
114
Our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. 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 sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
· | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
· | if our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
· | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
· | our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
· | we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
· | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
· | the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates; |
· | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
· | the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates; and |
· | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
115
Please see “Risk Factors — If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.”
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) 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 calculated 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our initial shareholders, 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, private placement securities and public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders with respect to, among other things, approval of a business combination or the exercise of redempotion rights because of their ownership of a substantial portion of the public shares and their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus.
Limitations on Redemptions
Our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. 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 in connection with such initial business combination, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. 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 forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote 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. Asset acquisitions and 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 outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rules.
The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above will be contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company, so long as we offer redemption in connection with such amendment.
116
If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a shareholder meeting, we will:
· | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
· | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
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 receive the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, passed by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares represented in person or represented by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. In accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, a quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our initial shareholders will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, sponsor, officers, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement securities 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. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non- votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their ordinary shares at a general meeting of the company, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. 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 passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company 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. 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, passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares represented in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company and are voted at a general meeting of the company. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the proposed transaction, or whether they were a shareholder on the record date for the shareholder meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
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:
· | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
· | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination, which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
117
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.
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.
We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The 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 indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. 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 or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares.
Our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. 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 in connection with such initial business combination, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. 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 forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our 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 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor 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 15% 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 a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
118
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.
Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights
As described above, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The 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 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 scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. 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 process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the broker submitting or tendering shares a fee of approximately $100 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 submit or 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.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed initial business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete an initial business combination with a different target until the end of the completion window.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only 24 the duration of the closing window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we will, 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 (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment for the public shares and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating or other distributions, if any)
119
Our initial shareholders, 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 they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. However, if our initial shareholders, sponsor or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account and liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24- month time period.
Our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. The non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the nonmanaging sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders with respect to, among other things, approval of a business combination or the exercise of redempotion rights because of their ownership of a substantial portion of the public shares and their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus.
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 $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.05. 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 $10.05. 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.
120
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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, 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 consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. 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. The underwriters of this offering and our independent registered public accounting firm 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. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, 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, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) 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 $10.05 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, 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 we 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. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.05 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) 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 $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.05 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,130,552 (or $1,094,552 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) from the proceeds of this offering 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 $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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 $869,448 (or $905,448 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
121
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 estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.05 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, and 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 (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, (ii) 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre- initial business combination activity or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. 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 the completion window.
Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |||||
Calculation of redemption price | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 $10.05 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | ||||
Impact to remaining shareholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay our income taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there 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. |
122
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 | $201,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | Approximately $169,317,497 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | |||
Investment of net proceeds | $201,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement securities held in trust will be held as cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. |
123
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | |||
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | We must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | |||
Trading of securities issued | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless BTIG informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | ||||
Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. If the over- allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. | |||||
Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. |
124
Election to remain an investor | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or against, our initial business combination, for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the | If an acquisition has not been completed within the completion window, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
125
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | ||||
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 receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, passed by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares represented in person or represented by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. 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 passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the proposed transaction, or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. | |||||
Release of funds | Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes, none of the funds held in trust will be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the closing window, subject to applicable law, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum |
126
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | ||||
and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. 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. | |||||
Delivering share certificates in connection with the exercise of redemption rights | We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The 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 indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the | Many blank check companies provide that a shareholder can vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating that such shareholder is seeking to exercise its redemption rights. After the business combination is approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for delivery of its share certificates to verify ownership. |
127
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | ||||
requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. | |||||
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent.
However, we would not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. | 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. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other special purpose acquisition companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess similar or greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
128
Facilities
Our principal executive offices are located at 104 S. Walnut Street, Unit 1A, Itasca, IL 60143. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two executive officers: Robert I. Kauffman, our Chief Executive Officer and Hassan R. Baqar, our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary. 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 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 will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants 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 proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents 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 target businesses we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We 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 the requirements outlined above, 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 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, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business 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.
On or prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are 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.
129
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled to or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team and our board of directors in their capacity as such.
130
Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
Name | Age | Title | ||
Robert I. Kauffman | 60 | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board | ||
Hassan R. Baqar | 46 | Chief Financial Officer and Secretary | ||
Stuart Kovensky | Director Nominee | |||
Jonathan Marshall | Director Nominee | |||
Meltem Demirors | Director Nominee | |||
Peter Early | Director Nominee |
Robert I. Kauffman has served as Chief Executive Officer since August 2024. Mr. Kauffman will serve as the Chairman of the board of directors upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Kauffman was a co-founder, principal and member of the board of directors of Fortress Investment Group LLC from its founding in 1998 until 2012. During his tenure at the firm, Mr. Kauffman served as a member of Fortress’s management committee and was responsible for the management of Fortress’s European private equity investment operations. While at Fortress Mr. Kauffman was primarily focused on financial services, real estate, distressed debt restructurings, and other asset based businesses. During his career, he has been involved in a wide variety of investment activities, including private fund raising, initial public offerings, primary and secondary public share offerings in multiple jurisdictions, take private transactions, as well as billions of dollars of bank and capital market debt financings and securitizations.
Prior to co-founding Fortress, Mr. Kauffman served as a managing director at UBS, from 1997 to 1998 in its Principal Finance area. Prior to that he was a principal at BlackRock Financial Management Inc., from 1993 to 1997 playing a key role in raising and investing their first Private Equity Fund, BlackRock Asset Investors. Previously, Mr. Kauffman worked at Lehman Brothers from 1986 to 1993 primarily focused on the mortgage and securitization markets both in the US and Europe.
Since his departure from Fortress in 2012, Mr. Kauffman has brought his extensive business experience to a variety of private and public investments, including the IPO of Aldel Financial Inc. and its successful merger with Hagerty Inc (HGTY), the largest specialty insurer of collector cars.
Mr. Kauffman serves on the board of directors of Hagerty Inc, Global Net Lease Realty, a publicly traded REIT, and an advisory board member of McLaren Racing LTD., a leading UK based Formula1 racing team. Mr. Kauffman is currently the chairman of the Race Team Alliance, an association of NASCAR Cup Series teams; and the owner of RK Motors, a leading restorer and reseller of classic cars.
Mr. Kauffman is also an investor and advisory board member of Off The Chain Capital, a cryptocurrency focused hedge fund. Mr. Kauffman earned a degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in 1986.
131
Hassan R. Baqar has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since August 2024 and the Secretary since inception. Mr. Baqar has over 20 years of experience within financial services and other industries focused on corporate development, mergers & acquisitions, capital raising, investments and real estate transactions. Mr. Baqar has served as the founder and Managing Member of Sequoia Financial LLC, a management services and advisory firm, since January 2019. Mr. Baqar has also served as Chief Financial Officer from August 2021 to February 2024 and Executive Vice President from December 2021 to February 2024 of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF)) ), which operates as a diversified reinsurance, asset management, merchant banking, manufacturing and real estate holding company, as Chief Financial Officer of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd., a former Bermuda based reinsurance company from October 2017 to December 2021, as a Director of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSX: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry from August 2019 to December 2021 and as Chief Financial Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. from June 2016 to December 2020, as a Director of FG Reinsurance Ltd., a Cayman Islands reinsurance company since June 2020, as Director, Treasurer and Secretary of Sponsor Protection Coverage and Risk, Inc., a South Carolina captive insurance company from October 2022 to March 2024, and as a Director and Chief Financial Officer of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Baqar served as a Director, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U) from October 2021 to September 2024, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since September 2024, Mr. Baqar serves as Chief Financial Officer of Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since October 2023, has served as Chief Financial Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp., special purpose acquisition companies in the process of completing the initial public offering.
Mr. Baqar served as a Director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU) from December 2021 to August 2023, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreconnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, and as Chief Financial Officer of Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF) from January 2021 to December 2021, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. From July 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Baqar served as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. Previously, he served as Vice President of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) (“Kingsway”) from January 2014 to January 2019 and as a Vice President of Kingsway’s subsidiary Kingsway America Inc. from January 2010 to January 2019. Mr. Baqar also served as Director and Chief Financial Officer of 1347 Capital Corp. from April 2014 to July 2016, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB). Mr. Baqar served as a member of the Board of Directors of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGF)) from October 2012 to May 2015. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of United Insurance Holdings Corp. (NYSE: UIHC), a publicly held property and casualty insurance holding company, from August 2011 to April 2012.
His previous experience also includes Director of Finance at Itasca Financial, LLC from 2008 to 2009 and positions held at Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company (a Kemper Insurance company), a diversified mutual property-casualty insurance provider, from June 2000 to April 2008, where he most recently served as a Senior Analyst. Mr. Baqar earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northeastern Illinois University in 2009 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Monmouth College in 2000. He also holds a Certified Public Accountant designation.
Jonathan S. Marshall will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since June 2018, Mr. Marshall has served as the Executive Director of the Race Team Alliance (RTA), a 501(c)(6) organization that represents the collective interests of the race teams that compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. As Executive Director, he works closely with the leadership of the member race teams with a mandate to advance their collective interests in the sport. He has served in that role since 2018. Prior to the RTA, from November 2013 to April 2018, Mr. Marshall was the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the World Surf League (“WSL”) having joined the WSL as its General Counsel before being promoted to COO. In addition to his legal background, Mr. Marshall has a wide range of experience in the fields of media distribution, financing, licensing and sales, mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions.
132
Prior to joining WSL, from January 2011to October 2013, Mr. Marshall was SVP, Business Development & Strategy at USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he oversaw the operations for USA TODAY High School Sports, sports digital properties and sports analytics. Prior to that, Mr. Marshall was President of Television at Westwood One. He began his professional career with the law firm, Shearman & Sterling before moving to work in the entertainment practice at Loeb & Loeb, LLP. Mr. Marshall has been a member of the California State Bar since 1988 and is a graduate of the Tulane Law School (J.D.) and the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University (B.A.). We believe Mr. Marshall is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive management expertise and legal experience.
Stuart Kovensky will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Kovensky is an experienced C-Suite executive, investor and board member with over 25 years of experience in investment management, business development, fund-raising and corporate governance. Since 2023, Mr. Kovensky has served as the Managing Member of Cogent Advisory LLC, a firm he founded and where he focuses on providing corporate advisory and director services. Between January 2006 and December 2022, Mr. Kovensky was the Co-CEO, CIO and member of the board of directors of Onex Credit Partners, a firm that he co-founded in 2006 and was subsequently sold to Onex Corp. Onex Credit Partners is a multi-strategy investor in both public and private non-investment grade credit markets with assets under management in excess of $25 billion. In his role at Onex Credit, Stuart shared responsibility for all aspects of the firms’ operations with a focus on investment management and marketing as well as business development, in which capacity he spearheaded key areas of strategic expansion that helped the firm grow significantly, both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
Prior to co-founding Onex Credit Partners, Mr. Kovensky was a Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the opportunistic credit strategy at John A. Levin and Co. from 2001-2005. From 1995-2000 he was a Partner and Head of Research at Murray Capital Management. Mr. Kovensky began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank in 1989 where he gained experience in High Yield Finance, Structured Finance and International Trade Finance. Mr. Kovensky has served on the board of directors for Naviga, Inc, Artera Services, Smile Holdings, United Road Services, CWT Travel Services and At Home Cayman, Inc. He is also an advisory board member of meetperry, inc.
Mr. Kovensky earned a degree in Management from Binghamton University in 1989 and a Masters in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1996. We believe Mr. Kovensky is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his management and financial markets and banking experience.
Meltem Demirors will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since 2024, Ms. Demirors has served as the Managing Partner of Crucible Capital, an investment firm she founded which focuses on the intersection of cryptocurrencies, physical infrastructure, and commodities markets. From 2018 to 2023, Ms. Demirors served as Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, a publicly listed European investment company specialising in digital assets, where she oversaw investments to provide institutional investors with thematic, risk-managed exposure to the emerging crypto asset ecosystem and served as managing director of the firm's US operations. From 2015 until 2018, Ms. Demirors led the Development team at Digital Currency Group, one of the largest digital asset investment firms in the world. Previously, Ms. Demirors was a strategy consultant in Deloitte's Oil & Gas practice. She is a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media and is a Program Fellow at the Oxford Saïd Business School where she has been overseeing the Blockchain Strategy Programme since 2017. Ms. Demirors holds a BA in Mathematical Economics from Rice University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. We believe that Ms. Demiror is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her experience in public companies, financial markets and management skills.
Peter Early will serve as a director upon the closing of this offering. Since April 2024, Mr. Early has served as head business development at 1Round Table Partners (“1RT”), the largest growth equity investor focused exclusively on the blockchain space. Prior to 1RT, he served on the board of directors and lead all aspects of business development and strategy from 2019 to 2024 for Exos Financial (“Exos”), a tech-enabled institutional bank he co-founded with Brady Dougan, the former CEO of Credit Suisse, and Joe Squeri, the former CTO of Citadel. Mr. Early led the SPAC business at Exos where he advised multiple companies on their SPAC mergers and multiple sponsor teams on their SPAC IPOs. He also devised and oversaw an investment strategy that invested roughly $200m in an actively managed portfolio of listed SPACs.
Prior to Exos, Mr. Early served in leadership roles at SoFi Technologies, Inc., Guggenheim Partners, LLC, and Wynn Resorts, Limited and worked in trading at Bankers Trust New York Corporation and Tiger Global Management, LLC. Additionally, he helped launch three Tiger-Cub hedge funds as either the CEO/CIO or President. Mr. Early earned a BS in electrical engineering and economics from Yale University in 1991. We believe that Mr. Early is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive experience in financial services, capital markets, operational and management expertise.
133
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our board of directors will consist of five members. Approval of our initial business combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, prior to our initial business combination, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors. 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, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing rules require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have three “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board has determined that each of [_], [_] and [_] is an independent director under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. No cash 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 theirs, for services rendered prior to, or for any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, as more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “The Offering — Limited payments to insiders” these individuals will be entitled to certain payments including, but not limited to, reimbursement 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. Additionally, these individuals will be eligible to receive a transfer or reallocation of founder shares for any extraordinary services rendered in order to identify or effectuate the consummation of our initial business combination. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. 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 executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.
134
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, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee; a compensation committee; and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Subject to phase-in rules, Nasdaq listing rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and Nasdaq listing rules require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board of directors and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the closing of this offering.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. The initial members of our audit committee will be [_], [_] and [_], each of whom meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. Mr. [_] will serve as chairperson of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that each of [_], [_] and [_] qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
135
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
· | assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
· | pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
· | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) 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; |
· | meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
· | reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The initial members of our compensation committee will be [_], [_] and [_]. Under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent. [_], [_] and [_] are independent and [_] chairs the compensation committee.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
· | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our chief executive officer’s compensation, evaluating our chief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our chief executive officer based on such evaluation; |
· | reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive compensation and equity based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers; |
· | reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
· | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
· | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
136
· | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
· | producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
· | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent 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.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance are [_], [_] and [_] and [_] serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
We adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
· | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting of shareholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
· | developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
· | coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
· | reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
The charter also provides that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
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. 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.
137
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.
Senior Advisors to the Board of Directors
We intend to appoint Larry G. Swets, Jr. as a senior advisor to the Board of Dircetors, which appointment shall take effect upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Swets will assist our management team with sourcing and evaluating business opportunities and devising plans and strategies to optimize any business that we acquire following the consummation of this offering. We have not currently entered into any formal arrangements or agreements with Mr. Swets to provide services to us and he will have no fiduciary obligations to present business opportunities to us. Mr. Swets will not be paid any finder’s fees, reimbursement, or consulting fee 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).
Larry G. Swets, Jr. serves as our senior advisor. Mr. Swets has over 25 years of experience within financial services encompassing both non-executive and executive roles. Mr. Swets founded Itasca Financial LLC, an advisory and investment firm, in 2005 and has served as its managing member since inception. Mr. Swets is founder and President of Itasca Golf Managers, Inc., a management services and advisory firm focused on the real estate and hospitality industries since August 2018. Mr Swets served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of FG Acquisition Corp. (TSX: FGAA.U) from October 2021 to September 2024, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Since September 2024, Mr. Swets serves as Executive Chairman of Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (TSX: SLT). Mr. Swets has served as Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp. and FG Merger III Corp. since September 2023, two special purpose acquisition companies in the process of completing its initial public offerings; and as Head of Merchant Banking of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) (Nasdaq: FGF) since February 2024. Mr. Swets is a member of the board of directors of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry since June 2016, and Ascension Illinois Foundation since March 2018.
Previously, Mr. Swets served as a director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreConnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, from February 2022 to August 2023, and as a director and Chief Executive Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, from July 2020 to July 2021. Mr. Swets served as Senior Advisor to Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market, from April 2021 to December 2021. Mr. Swets also served as Chief Executive Officer of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) from November 2020 to February 2024, after having served as interim CEO from June 2020 to November 2020, Chief Executive Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.) from June 2016 to June 2021, Chief Executive Officer of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from July 2010 to September 2018, including as its President from July 2010 to March 2017. He served as Chief Executive Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp., a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB), from April 2014 to July 2016. He was also a founder and served as Chairman of the Board of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Swets also previously served as a member of the board of directors of Fundamental Global Inc. (formerly FG Financial Group Inc.) from November 2013 to February 2024, FG Group Holdings, Inc. from October 2021 to February 2024, Harbor Custom Development, Inc. (Nasdaq: HCDI) from February 2020 to November 2023, Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB) from July 2016 to August 2021, Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from September 2013 to December 2018, Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AFHIF) from December 2010 to January 2018, FMG Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FMGQ) from May 2007 to September 2008, United Insurance Holdings Corp. from 2008 to March 2012; and Risk Enterprise Management Ltd. from November 2007 to May 2012. Mr. Swets served as director of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd. from October 2017 to December 2021.
138
Prior to founding Itasca Financial LLC, Mr. Swets served as an insurance company executive and advisor, including the role of director of investments and fixed income portfolio manager for Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, formerly known as Kemper Insurance Companies. Mr. Swets began his career in insurance as an intern in the Kemper Scholar program in 1994. Mr. Swets earned a Master’s Degree in Finance from DePaul University in 1999 and a Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University in 1997. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our Code of Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics and the charters of the committees of our board of directors will be provided without charge upon request from us. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.” If we make any amendments to our Code of Ethics other than technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waiver, 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, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website. The information included on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
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. |
139
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.
Our officers and directors presently and in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then- current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a business combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, 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. Further, other than the companies named under the section entitled “Proposed Business – Our Management Team – Prior SPAC Experience,” none of our management teams’ business affiliations are actively engaged in the business of acquiring a company.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation/Title | |||
Robert I. Kauffman | Hagerty Insurance | Insurance | Director | |||
Global Net Lease Realty | Real Estate | Director | ||||
Race Team Alliance | Motorsport | Chairman | ||||
RK Motors | Car Dearlership | Owner | ||||
Hassan R. Baqar | Saltire Capital Ltd. | Investment Company | CFO | |||
Craveworthy LLC | Restaurants Portfolio Company | Manager | ||||
FG Reinsurance Ltd. | Reinsurance | Director | ||||
FG Merger II Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
FG Merger III Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Sequoia Financial LLC | Management Services & Financial Advisory | Managing Member | ||||
Stuart Kovensky | Cogent Advisory LLC. At Home Cayman, Inc. Meet Perry, Inc. Hermitage Members Club, Inc. | Investment Management Finance/Retail Investment Community Private Ski Mountain | Manager Director Advisory Board Member Director, Board President | |||
Jonathan Marshall | RTA Media, LLC | Motorsport | Director | |||
TFI Properties, LLC | Hospitality | Partner | ||||
Larry G. Swets, Jr. | GreenFirst Forest Products, Inc. | Forest Products | Director | |||
Itasca Golf Managers, Inc. | Real Estate and Hospitality | President | ||||
Saltire Capital Ltd. | Investment Company | Executive Chair | ||||
FG Merger II Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Chief Executive Officer | ||||
FG Merger III Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Chief Executive Officer |
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
· | Our executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full- time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. |
140
· | Our initial shareholders purchased founder shares prior to the date of this prospectus and will purchase private placement securities in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our initial shareholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement securities and public shares they hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. The other members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial shareholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them in or after this offering. Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to 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 the prescribed time frame or any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement securities held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement securities will be worthless. |
· | Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; except to certain permitted transferees and under certain circumstances as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities.” Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, 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 (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. Because each of our executive officers and director nominees will own ordinary shares or warrants directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
· | 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. |
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Furthermore, in no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, be paid by the company any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination. Further, commencing on the date our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will also pay our sponsor (and/or its affiliates or designees) an aggregate of $20,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team.
We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and private placement shares, and they and the other members of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and private placement shares and any shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction. The non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders with respect to, among other things, approval of a business combination or the exercise of redempotion rights because of their ownership of a substantial portion of the public shares and their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus.
141
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 will provide 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 insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
142
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 Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
· | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares; |
· | each of our directors and officers; and |
· | all our directors and officers 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 of our ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private warrants and the OTM Warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
On July 19, 2024, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 13, 2024, the Sponsor transferred 690,000 founder shares to our officers, director nominees, senior advisor, and FG Merchant Partner LP, resulting in the Sponsor holding 5,060,000 founder shares. On September 25, 2024, the Sposor purchased an additional 410,714 founder shares for $0.004 per share, resulting in our initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 6,160,714 founder shares (5,470,714 of which are held by the Sponsor). Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent approximately 21% of the outstanding shares after this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units). Up to 803,571 of the founder shares will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial shareholders have forfeited 803,571 founder shares, and that there are 25,997,143 ordinary shares, consisting of (i) 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares; (ii) 5,357,143 Class B ordinary shares, and (iii) 640,000 private shares included in the private units issued and outstanding after this offering.
Number of Class A Ordinary Shares | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares | Number of Class B Ordinary Shares | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Beneficially Owned | Before Offering | After Offering | Beneficially Owned | Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||||||||||||||
Aldel Investors II LLC (2)(3)(4) | 440,000 | * | * | 5,470,714 | 88.8 | % | 18.9 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Robert I. Kauffman(3)(5) | 440,000 | * | * | 5,570,714 | 90.4 | % | 19.2 | % | |||||||||||||||||
Hassan R. Baqar | — | — | — | 70,000 | 1.1 | % | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Stuart Kovensky | — | — | — | 25,000 | * | * | |||||||||||||||||||
Jonathan Marshall | — | — | — | 25,000 | * | * | |||||||||||||||||||
Meltem Demirors | — | — | — | 25,000 | * | * | |||||||||||||||||||
Peter Early | — | — | 25,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||||||||||
All officers, directors and director nominees as a group (6 persons) | 440,000 | * | * | 5,740,714 | 93.2 | % | 19.9 | % |
* Less than one percent.
143
(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following is 104 S. Walnut Street, Unit 1A, Itasca, IL 60143.
(2) Interests include founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities” and with respect to the interests held after this offering, Class A ordinary shares issuable pursuant to a private placement.
(3) Aldel Investors II LLC is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Robert I. Kauffman is the managing member of Aldel Investors II LLC. Mr. Kauffman has voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held of record by Aldel Investors II LLC.
(4) Includes up to 803,571 founder shares that will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(5) Includes 100,000 founder shares held by Mr. Kauffman in his individual capacity.
Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders will beneficially own approximately 21% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Because of this ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination.
Sponsor Ownership
The following table sets forth information regarding the ownership of interests in Aldel Investors II LLC, our sponsor, by each person known by us to have material direct and indirect interests in the sponsor;
Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||
Name of Beneficial Owner | Number of Units Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Units | Number of Units Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Units | ||||
Robert I. Kauffman(1) |
(1) Robert I. Kauffman is the managing member of the sponsor and directs its day to day operations. Non of the non-managing sponsor investors, nor any other persons, have direct or indirect material interests in the sponsor.
144
Private units
Our sponsor and BTIG have committed to purchase an aggregate of 640,000 private units (if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, 707,500 private units) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of those 640,000 private units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 440,000 private units (or 477,500 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). BTIG have agreed to purchase 200,000 private units (or 230,000 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering, except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor, BTIG or their respective permitted transferees, (i) may not (including the underlying securities), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) and will be entitled to registration rights. A portion of the purchase price of the private units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $201,000,000 (or $231,150,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds of the sale of the private units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private units will be worthless. The private units are subject to the transfer restrictions described above. The non-managing sponsor investors have indicated an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of membership interests of our sponsor, an aggregate of 394,667 private units (or 432,428 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($3,946,670 in the aggregate, or $4,324,280 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor purchasing, through the sponsor, the private placement securities allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of 2,857,143 of the founder shares (or 3,125,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor.
OTM Warrants
In addition to the private warrants underlying the private units held by our sponsor, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 1,000,000 OTM Warrants at $0.10 per warrant, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $15.00 per share, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. A portion of the purchase price of the OTM Warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $200 million (or $230 million if the underwriters exercise their over- allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are subject to the transfer restrictions described below. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us and holders will have the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. In addition, the OTM Warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m. New York City Time ten years after the consummation our initial business combination. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
The non-managing sponsor investors have indicated an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of membership interests of our sponsor, an aggregate of 533,333 OTM Warrants (or 507,246 OTM Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.10 per warrant ($53,333.30 in the aggregate, or $50,724.60 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor purchasing, through the sponsor, the private placement securities allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of 2,857,143 of the founder shares (or 3,125,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor.
Our sponsor is deemed to be our “promoter”, as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
145
Expressions of Interest
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $98,600,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). There are 10 non-managing sponsor investors and the total maximum percentage of the offering for which there are indications of interest is 49.3%. None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing sponsor investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing sponsor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase a different number or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters have full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no units to the non-managing sponsor investors. The underwriters will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on units purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing sponsor investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. In the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because the non-managing sponsor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing sponsor investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing sponsor investors will vote on any business combination.
The non-managing sponsor investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued membership interests in the sponsor, with no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by the sponsor, including the founder shares and the private placement securities held by the sponsor. The interests of the partners of the sponsor are denominated in two classes of membership interest units: [_]. Pursuant to the agreement of all partners of the sponsor, the management and control of the sponsor is vested exclusively in the managing member, Robert I. Kauffman, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board, without any voting, veto, consent or other participation rights by any non-managing sponsor investors regardless of their unit ownership. As a result of this management structure, non-managing sponsor investors will have no right to control the sponsor, or participate in any decision regarding the disposal of any security held by the sponsor, or otherwise. Further, unlike certain arrangements of other blank check companies, the non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the postoffering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. If the non-managing sponsor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our units, then the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their indirect ownership of founder shares and private units as further discussed in this prospectus. We do not expect any purchase of units by the non-managing sponsor investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements.
The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as it will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. The underwriters’ affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor.
146
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities
The founder shares, private units, the OTM Warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement entered into by our initial shareholders and management team. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (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 sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 120 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 securities and the respective Class A ordinary shares underlying such securities, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our sponsor or to any member of the sponsor, any of their affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (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 a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s operating agreement, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; or (h) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) 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 agreement. In addition, we could agree to permit the holders of our founder shares to transfer shares or agree to cancel such securities. Although no such transfers or cancellations are contemplated, we could agree to permit such transfer or cancellation to facilitate the closing of a business combination.
Assuming no liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction takes place, lock-ups on the founder shares and private placement securities would expire as follows:
Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Natural Persons and Entities Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | |||
Founder Shares* | one year after the completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that if (1) the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, 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 (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. | Aldel Investors II LLC
Robert I. Kauffman
Hassan R. Baqar
Stuart Kovensky
Jonathan Marshall
Meltem Demirors
Peter Early Larry G. Swets
| Transfers permitted (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our sponsor or to any member of the sponsor, any of their affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (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 a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s operating agreement, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; or (h) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) 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 agreement |
147
| except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our sponsor or to any member of the sponsor, any of their affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (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 a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s operating agreement, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; or (h) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) 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 agreement. | |||||
Private Placement Securities* | 30 days after the completion of the business combination | Aldel Investors II LLC
Robert I. Kauffman Hassan R. Baqar Stuart Kovensky Jonathan Marshall Meltem Demirors Peter Early Larry G. Swets | Same as above |
*
The securities held by the sponsor are expected to only be distributed directly to the members of the sponsor in connection with or following the consummation of our initial business combination, provided that such members agree to become subject to the applicable transfer restrictions with respect to such securities. Indirect transfers of the securities held by the sponsor, such as to the non-managing sponsor members, another member of the sponsor or their affiliate or a new member of the sponsor, may be permitted with the consent of Mr. Kauffman, the managing member of our sponsor, so long as such transfer complies with the applicable transfer restrictions with respect to such securities described in the table above to the same extent as the party originally subject to such restrictions. The units that the non-managing sponsor members may purchase in this offering are not subject to any contractual transfer restrictions.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private units (and underlying securities), the OTM Warrants (and underlying securities) and any units (and underlying securities) that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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. However, the registration rights agreement will provide that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares.” We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
148
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On July 19, 2024, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 13, 2024, the Sponsor transferred 690,000 founder shares to our officers, director nominees, senior advisor, and FG Merchant Partner LP, resulting in the Sponsor holding 5,060,000 founder shares. On September 25, 2024, the Sposor purchased an additional 410,714 founder shares for $0.004 per share, resulting in our initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 6,160,714 founder shares (5,470,714 of which are held by the Sponsor). The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent approximately 21% of the outstanding shares after this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units). Up to 803,571 of the founder shares will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share dividend or 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 this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units).
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 1,000,000 OTM Warrants, exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $15.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.10 per OTM Warrant, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. In addition, our sponsor and BTIG have committed to purchase an aggregate of 640,000 private units (if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, 707,500 private units) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of those 640,000 private units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 440,000 private units (or 477,500 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). BTIG has agreed to purchase 200,000 private units (or 230,000 private units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). A portion of the purchase price of the private units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $201,000,000 (or $231,150,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement securities will be included in the liquidating distribution to our public shareholders and the private placement securities will be worthless. The private placement securities are subject to the transfer restrictions described in this prospectus under the caption “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities.” Otherwise, the private units have terms and provisions that will be identical to those of the units being sold in this offering.
On July 19, 2024, we issued a promissory note to the sponsor, pursuant to which we may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $180,000. As of July 22, 2024, there was $180,000 outstanding under the promissory note. The promissory notes are noninterest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) the consummation of the this offering or (ii) the date on which we determine not to conduct this offering.
Our principal executive offices are located at 104 S. Walnut Street, Unit 1A, Itasca, IL 60143. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations. No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination without shareholder approval. However, these individuals 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.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor may loan us funds to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans would be non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of (i) the consummation of this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to conduct the this offering.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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.
149
Any of the foregoing payments to our sponsor, repayments of loans from our sponsor or repayments of working capital loans prior to our initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post- combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares and private placement securities, which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders — Registration Rights.”
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors will adopt a policy setting forth the policies and procedures for its review and approval or ratification of “related party transactions.” A “related party transaction” is any consummated or proposed transaction or series of transactions: (i) in which the company was or is to be a participant; (ii) the amount of which exceeds (or is reasonably expected to exceed) the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the company’s total assets at year end for the prior two completed fiscal years in the aggregate over the duration of the transaction (without regard to profit or loss); and (iii) in which a “related party” had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related parties” under this policy will include: (i) our directors, nominees for director or executive officers; (ii) any record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities; (iii) any immediate family member of any of the foregoing if the foregoing person is a natural person; and (iv) any other person who maybe a “related person” pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the policy, the audit committee will consider (i) the relevant facts and circumstances of each related party transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party, (ii) the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction, (iii) whether the transaction contravenes our Code of Ethics or other policies, (iv) whether the audit committee believes the relationship underlying the transaction to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders and (v) the effect that the transaction may have on a director’s status as an independent member of the board and on his or her eligibility to serve on the board’s committees. Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy will not permit any director or executive officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.
150
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company 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 which will be adopted prior to the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 500,000,000 ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, including 479,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, as well as 1,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our share capital as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Public Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the company’s Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. For example, if a warrant holder holds one-half of one warrant to purchase a Class A ordinary share, such warrant will not be exercisable. If a warrant holder holds two-halves of one warrant, such whole warrant will be exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless BTIG informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Private Units
The private units (including the warrants or ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the sponsor). Otherwise, the private units have terms and provisions that are identical the units sold in this offering. The price of the private units was determined in negotiations between our sponsor and the underwriter for this offering, with reference to the prices paid by initial shareholders for such units in special purpose acquisition companies, which have recently consummated their initial public offerings.
If we do not consummate an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private units (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the private units sold in the private placement.
151
Each of the units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans shall be identical to the private units. Following the expiration of the lock-up described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities” with respect to the private units, units upon conversion of working capital loans and extension loans and their respective underlying securities, such securities will be transferable, assignable or saleable, subject to an effective registration statement covering such securities or an applicable exemption from registration.
Ordinary Shares
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 6,160,714 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, all of which were held of record by our initial shareholders, so that our initial shareholders will own approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering or in open market transactions and excluding the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private units, the OTM warrants, and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of any working capital loans).
Up to 803,571 of the founder shares will be forfeited by our initial shareholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Upon the closing of this offering, 25,997,143 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 803,571 founder shares by our initial shareholders) including:
· | 5,357,143 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders; |
· | 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering; and |
· | 640,000 ordinary shares underlying the private units. |
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share dividend or 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 as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units).
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are represented in person or by proxy and are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or represented by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company, 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 and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three 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, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
152
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 479,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a 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 business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-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. 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 to redeem, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or against, our initial business combination, all or a portion of their public shares (up to an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus) 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 calculated 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our initial shareholders, 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, private placement securities and public shares they hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many special purpose acquisition 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 require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about our 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 special purpose acquisition 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 receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, passed by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares represented in person or represented by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. 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 passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors 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 initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.
153
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. 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 our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, sponsor, officers, directors and senior advisor have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement securities and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. 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, passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares represented in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company and are voted at a general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but no 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 (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distribution or other distributions, if any), subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial shareholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. However, if our initial shareholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
154
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; (iii) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (A) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement securities and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement securities 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 in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, (C) 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 the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period and (D) vote any founder 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, (iv) the founder shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and (v) prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands).
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, 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 connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, approximately 21% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders and not including the Class A ordinary shares included in the private units), 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 or rights exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans, provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one- for-one basis.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (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 to occur of(i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; except to certain permitted transferees and under certain circumstances as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities.” Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, 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 (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. Up to 803,571 founder shares will be forfeited by our initial shareholders depending on the exercise of the over-allotment option.
155
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.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize 1,000,000 preference shares and provide 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 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.
Warrants
Public Shareholders’ Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement) and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
156
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed, that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement.
Redemption of warrants for cash
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may call the warrants for redemption for cash:
· in whole and not in part;
· at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
· upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day measurement period”); and
157
· if, and only if, the closing price of the ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination as described elsewhere in this prospectus) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before we send to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
If and when the warrants become redeemable by us for cash, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which warrants were offered by us in this offering.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination as described elsewhere in this prospectus) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption procedures and cashless exercise
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above under “— Redemption of warrants for cash”, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of Class A ordinary shares to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount as specified by the holder) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share capitalization payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a split-up of ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization, split-up or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding ordinary shares. A rights offering to holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a share capitalization of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) and (ii) the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
158
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, or (d) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share split or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary shares, (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value of the Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “— Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of Class A ordinary shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A ordinary shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over- the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants.
159
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any defective provision or mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, (ii) adjusting the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants, and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants, 50% of the then outstanding private placement warrants. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors — Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
Private Placement Warrants
Except as described in this section, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and they will not be redeemable by us. The holders of the private placement warrants have the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. In addition, the OTM Warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m. New York City Time ten years after the consummation our initial business combination. Each whole OTM Warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $15.00 per share.
160
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering his, her or its warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent.
Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the Class A ordinary shares received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of any of these warrants) until the date that is 30 days after the date we complete our initial business combination, except that, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities,” transfers can be made to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the sponsor.
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 our business combination. The payment of cash dividends following the completion of our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time and will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. There is no certainty that we will be in a position to, or decide to, pay cash dividends after completing our. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a share capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private units). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends following the completion of our initial business combination may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant 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 or intentional misconduct 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.
161
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 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 are voted at a general meeting of the company) 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 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 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;
162
· 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.
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. Forbes Hare, 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.
Substantially all of our assets are located in the United States. Furthermore, all of our current officers and directors reside in the United States. As a result, investors should not find it difficult to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons or to enforce judgments obtained against us or these persons in U.S. courts, including judgments in actions predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. It may, however, be difficult for an investor to:
(i) enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against foreign persons based upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. Federal securities laws;
(ii) enforce, in a Cayman Islands court, judgments of U.S. courts based upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. Federal securities laws; and
(iii) bring an original action in Cayman Islands court to enforce liabilities against us or any of our officers and directors based upon the U.S. Federal securities laws.
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 Forbes Hare, 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, so far as the liabilities
163
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 his 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 his 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 his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his 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 his 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.
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;
164
· 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).
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
The Business Combination Article of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 21% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering or in open market transactions and excluding the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private units, the OTM warrants, and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of any working capital loans), may 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 will provide, among other things, that:
· If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but no 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 (which interest shall be net of amounts released to us to pay our tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 for dissolution and liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions or other distributions, if any), subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors 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 our initial business combination;
· Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our executive 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 which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
165
· If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act.
· If our shareholders 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 in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; and
· We will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
· Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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.
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