SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MAY 11, 2021
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$125,000,000
Aries I Acquisition Corporation
12,500,000 Units
Aries I Acquisition Corporation is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
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 on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months (or up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the date on which they first become effective or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 1,875,000 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 upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months from the consummation of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Aries Acquisition Partners Ltd., has committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,175,000 private placement warrants (or 4,456,250 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $4,175,000 in the aggregate (or $4,456,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
Up to 11 qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors, which are not affiliated with any member of our management and which we refer to as the anchor investors, have expressed to us an interest to purchase up to 1,250,000 units each in this offering and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to sell to the anchor investors such number of units. There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with our anchor investors, see “Summary—The Offering—Expressions of Interest.”
Our initial shareholders currently own an aggregate of 3,593,750 Class B ordinary shares (up to 468,750 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will enter into a forward purchase agreement with Terra Carta Partners, LLC (“Terra Carta Partners”), which is affiliated with our sponsor, pursuant to which Terra Carta Partners has agreed to purchase up to $50,000,000 of forward purchase shares. Each forward purchase share will consist of one Class A ordinary share, and will be sold at a purchase price of $10.00 per share in a private placement concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination. The obligations of Terra Carta Partners under the forward purchase agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares held by public shareholders are redeemed by us and the amount of forward purchase shares sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreement will be subject to Terra Carta Partners’ sole discretion. The forward purchase shares will generally be identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that they will be entitled to certain registration rights, as described herein.
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 Stock Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “RAMMU” 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 Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Kingswood Capital Markets, as representatives of the underwriters, inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “RAM” and “RAMMW,” respectively
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page
39 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| | | Per Unit | | | Total | |
Public offering price | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | $ | 125,000,000 | | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | | | | $ | 0.65 | | | | | $ | 8,125,000 | | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | | | | $ | 9.35 | | | | | $ | 116,875,000 | | |
(1)
$0.20 per unit, or $2,500,000 in the aggregate (or $2,875,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.45 per unit, or $5,625,000 in the aggregate (or up to $6,468,750 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. Up to $2,500,000 (or $2,875,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the total amount of the deferred underwriting commissions may be re-allocated among the underwriters or paid to other FINRA members that assist us in identifying or consummating our initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $126,250,000, or $145,187,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.10 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. as investment manager, after deducting $2,500,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $2,875,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $2.3 million to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2021.
Joint Book-running Managers
| Wells Fargo Securities | | | Kingswood Capital Markets division of Benchmark Investments, Inc. | |
,2021