| Item 2. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. |
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our condensed financial statements and related notes included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report. This discussion and other parts of this report contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on February 22, 2021. We were formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We are an emerging growth company and, as such, we are subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.
As of June 30, 2023, we have not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from February 22, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2023 relates to our formation and the IPO, described below, and, since the offering, the search for a prospective initial business combination. We will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial business combination, at the earliest. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering, and non-operating income or expense due to changes in the fair value of derivative warrant liabilities. We have selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
Our sponsor is Mercato Partners Acquisition Group, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The registration statement filed in connection with our Initial Public Offering was declared effective on November 3, 2021. On November 8, 2021, we consummated our Initial Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “public shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $200.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $12.1 million, of which $4.0 million was for underwriting commissions, $7.0 million was for deferred underwriting commissions and approximately $1.1 million was for offering costs, of which approximately $0.3 million was allocated to derivative warrant liabilities.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of 9,000,000 warrants, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant to the sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million.
In connection with the Initial Public Offering, the underwriter was granted an option (the “Over-allotment Option”) to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 Units (“Over-allotment Units”) solely to cover over-allotments, if any, at an offering price of $10.00 per Over-allotment Unit. On November 19, 2021, the underwriter exercised the Over-allotment Option in full and, on November 23, 2021, purchased 3,000,000 Over-allotment Units, generating gross proceeds of $30,000,000, and incurring additional offering costs of approximately $1.7 million, of which $600,000 was paid for underwriting commissions, and approximately $1.1 million is payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions.
On August 1, 2022 the underwriter irrevocably waived its rights to the deferred underwriting commissions due under the underwriting agreement consummated in connection with the Initial Public Offering.
Simultaneously with the sale of the Over-allotment Units, on November 23, 2021, the Company consummated a second closing of the Private Placement of an aggregate of 1,050,000 private placement warrants, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, with the sponsor. The second closing of the Private Placement generated additional aggregate gross proceeds of $1,050,000. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the Units in the Initial Public Offering except that, if held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees, they (i) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, (ii) are not subject to being called for redemption under certain redemption scenarios and (iii) subject to certain limited exceptions, will be subject to transfer restrictions until 30 days following the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination.
Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, over-allotment and the Private Placement, $233.45 million ($10.15 per Unit) of net proceeds, including the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement, was placed in a trust account (“trust account”) with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and 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 of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by us, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a business combination and (ii) the distribution of the trust account as described below.
Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of its Initial Public Offering and the sale of private placement warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a business combination. Our business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions, which the underwriter irrevocably waived on August 1, 2022, and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time we sign a definitive agreement in connection with the initial business combination. However, we will only complete a 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.
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