The regions from which Traverse sources investment opportunities possess a number of compelling characteristics in comparison to California and New York. First, Traverse has found that research universities and Fortune 500 companies produce both founders and highly skilled employees for growth-stage companies. For instance, according to CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION ®, the Midwest and Intermountain regions represent 19.8% and 8.4% of the total research universities and 28.2% and 4.4% of the Fortune 500 companies in the United States, respectively. These figures compare favorably to both California and New York, which each account for 8.4% of the research universities and 10.6% and 10.8% of the Fortune 500 companies in the United States, respectively. Furthermore, highly skilled workers in these markets are generally less expensive, enabling companies to be more capital efficient. According to a CB Insights Cost of Living Index, the annual salary of an engineer in Colorado, Chicago, Texas and Utah are 58%, 64%, 52% and 50%, respectively, compared with a similar position in the Bay Area. Despite these factors, California has been the recipient of an inordinate percentage of growth-stage venture funding, accounting for 56.7% of Series B or later financings between 2018 – 2020 while the Intermountain, Midwest and Texas markets reached 3.1%, 6.4% and 2.5%, respectively, according to Pitchbook Data, Inc.
The Traverse growth equity practice is managed by Mercato’s co-founder, Dr. Greg Warnock, and two directors, Mr. Ryan Sanders and Mr. Joe Kaiser. They are supported by an investment team of over 20 professionals with decades of combined experience in sourcing, evaluating, managing and profitably harvesting equity investments. This experience includes a long history of active involvement and strategic decision making as members of the board of directors for high-growth companies. In addition, the educational background of the team enables Traverse to refine its investment practice through the selective application of best practices, lessons learned, proven theories and innovative strategies gleaned from academic research. We believe that Mercato, and in particular its Traverse growth equity practice, possesses key insights and a strong network of relationships and deep industry knowledge that will provide us insight and access to potential acquisition targets that fall outside the Traverse investment strategy, either due to the size, sector and/or stage of development.
Our sponsor, Mercato Partners Acquisition Group, LLC, is controlled by Bullfrog Bay Trust (a family trust managed by the wife and two adult sons of Dr. Warnock, our Chief Executive Officer and Chair of our board). As a result, we intend to appropriately leverage the full capabilities of the Mercato brand and its Traverse practice, and we expect to have access to their team, deal prospects and network, along with any necessary resources to aid in the identification, diligence and operational support of a target for our initial business combination.
Initial Public Offering
On November 8, 2021, we consummated our IPO of 20,000,000 units (“Units”) and, upon full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option consummated on November 23, 2021, an additional 3,000,000 Units. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A common stock”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company (the “public warrants”), with each whole public warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one whole share of Class A common stock for $11.50 per share. The Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $230,000,000, which includes the gross proceeds received from the Units issued to the underwriter upon full exercise of its over-allotment option.
Simultaneously with the closing of our IPO, we completed the private sale of 9,000,000 warrants and, upon full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option consummated on November 23, 2021, an additional 1,050,000 warrants (collectively, the “private placement warrants”), at a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant (the “Private Placement”), to our sponsor, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $10,050,000.
Of the aggregate gross proceeds of $240,050,000, a total of $233,450,000, which includes $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees, was placed in a U.S.-based trust account (the “trust account”) maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
Our management team is led by Dr. Greg Warnock, our Chief Executive Officer and Chair of our board, and Mr. Scott Klossner, our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary. Collectively, management has more than 70 years of operational, financial, investment, transactional and corporate development experience. We must complete our
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