UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021
☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ____________ to _____________
Commission File No. 001-40565
G3 VRM ACQUISITION CORP. |
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) |
|
Delaware | | 85-2202109 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
420 Boylston Street, Suite 302, Boston, MA 02116 |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code) |
|
(617) 531-9911 |
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) |
|
N/A |
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | | Trading Symbol(s) | | Name of each exchange on which registered |
Common Stock | | GGGV | | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Rights | | GGGVR | | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Units | | GGGVU | | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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 | | ☒ Smaller reporting company |
| | ☒ Emerging growth company |
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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act): Yes ☒ No ☐
As of June 30, 2021, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold was $0.
As of March 21, 2022, there were 11,301,670 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, issued and outstanding, of which 10,626,000 shares were subject to possible redemption, and 2,656,500 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: None
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I | 1 |
ITEM 1. BUSINESS | 1 |
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS | 16 |
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS | 40 |
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES | 40 |
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS | 40 |
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES | 40 |
PART II | 41 |
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES | 41 |
ITEM 6. [RESERVED] | 42 |
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS | 42 |
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK | 44 |
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA | 44 |
Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2021 | F-3 |
Statements of Operations for the period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021 | F-4 |
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit for the period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021 | F-5 |
Statements of Cash Flows for the period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021 | F-6 |
Notes to Financial Statements | F-7 |
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE | 44 |
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES | 45 |
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION | 45 |
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS | 45 |
PART III | 45 |
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | 45 |
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION | 49 |
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS | 49 |
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE | 52 |
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES | 54 |
PART IV | |
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES | 54 |
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY | 55 |
SIGNATURES | 56 |
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
We are a blank check company formed on as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock 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, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or sector, but we expect to focus on acquiring a business combination target within the technology and business services industry, with an enterprise value of approximately $250 million to $500 million. Management believes that this relative size of target opportunities will enable the Company to pursue companies that are the most attractive from a return standpoint and are less pursued by larger, more established sources of capital.
Our sponsor, G3 VRM Holdings LLC, is owned and controlled by CISCAP 4, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is an affiliate of G2 Capital Advisors, LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company that was founded in 2010 to provide financial advisory and investment banking services to middle-market companies leveraging deep industry sector specialization and capital markets expertise, and VerifyMe, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRME), a Nevada corporation and provider of comprehensive brand protection and customer engagement solutions. Over its 12-year history, G2 has completed nearly 300 mandates representing over $3B in total transaction value. Software, technology-enabled and business services companies represent a core focus area for G2, with deep vertical industry specialization in ecommerce, digital supply chain, industrial technology, real estate technology and IT managed services.
We intend to capitalize on the seasoned operating experience of our management team, including Matt Konkle and Don Van der Wiel. Our management team has extensive industry experience in leadership roles within technology and business services- and related sectors.
Our Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Matt Konkle, has over twenty-five years of experience in software-as-a-service (SaaS), eCommerce, technology-enabled services and outsourced business services. He is an accomplished C-level executive having led organizations in all phases of the growth cycle from business formation through multiple strategic exits and reorganizations in both public and private companies. Matt has deep expertise in the execution of complex mergers & acquisitions (M&A) having directly led over twenty transactions representing approximately $750M in total transaction value across technology and business services to date. Through his role as Head of Industry Teams for G2 Capital Advisors, Matt also serves in an executive leadership capacity responsible for all M&A engagements across G2’s industry sector teams. As Executive Chairman of Legacy Supply Chain Services, a $300M tech-enabled supply chain services company, Matt led a financial and operational turnaround of the business followed by a strategic sale in 2018. Over the course of his career, Matt has directly experienced four strategic exits in senior leadership roles for growth-based, midmarket business ventures.
Our Chief Financial Officer, Don Van der Wiel, has over thirty years of progressive financial roles in big 4 audit and consulting, retail, software, technology-enabled services and financial advisory services. He has served as a C-level executive in private and public companies ranging up to $1.5 billion in revenue. Don has been engaged at various levels in dozens of acquisitions, divestitures and exits, financings, capital raises and advisory services aggregating over $3 billion in transaction value, while also serving as the principal financial officer on an initial public offering, several S-144 offerings and exchanges, and multiple financings.
We also have an accomplished and engaged team of independent directors who are highly experienced in public company governance, executive leadership, operations oversight and capital markets. Our board members have served as directors, officers, partners, executives and advisors for publicly-listed and privately-owned companies and private equity and venture capital firms. Our directors have extensive experience with acquisitions, divestitures and corporate strategy and possess relevant domain expertise in the sectors where we expect to source business combination targets. We believe their collective expertise, contacts and relationships make us a highly desirable merger partner.
Past performance by the members of our management team in their other endeavors or the other entities with which they are or have been affiliated is not a guarantee of future success. We cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or that any business combination we consummate will be successful. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance, or the performance of any other entities with which our management team is or has been affiliated, as indicative of our future performance or how an investment in our company will perform or the returns our company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
Initial Public Offering
On July 6, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering (“IPO”) of 10,626,000 units (including 626,000 units sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). Each unit consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $106,260,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 569,410 private placement units to the sponsor at a purchase price of $10.00 per private placement unit, generating gross proceeds of $5,694,100.
A total of $107,853,900, comprised of $106,260,000 of the proceeds from the IPO and $1,593,900 of the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units, was placed in the trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer and Trust, acting as trustee. The private placement units are identical to the units sold in the IPO, except they and the underlying securities are subject to certain transfer restrictions and entitled to certain registration rights as described in the IPO prospectus.
Our sponsor, officers and directors own an aggregate of 2,656,500 shares of our Class B common stock which will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, as described herein under the heading “Initial Business Combination”.
We must complete our initial business combination by July 7, 2022, 12 months from the closing of our IPO. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within that time, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out herein under the heading “Initial Business Combination”. If our initial business combination is not consummated within the permitted time, then our existence will terminate, and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account.
Our units, public shares and public warrants are each traded on the Nasdaq under the symbols “GGGVU,” “GGGV” and “GGGVR,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on July 1, 2021 and our public shares and public stock rights commenced separate public trading on August 17, 2021.
Business and Investment Strategies
While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, our investment strategy will focus our efforts in the technology industry, specifically within software, technology-enabled and business services sector opportunities. Our initial business combination and value creation strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, implement an operating strategy with a view of creating value for our stockholders through operational improvements, capital infusion, or future acquisitions. We intend to source initial business combination opportunities through our management team’s broad network of investors in the technology and business services industry, board members, company executives, lawyers, accountants, and brokers.
While we may acquire a business in any industry, sector or geography, our focus will be on software, technology-enabled and business services companies. We believe that software, technology-enabled and business services companies are attracting a disproportionate share of equity and credit investment capital, driven by a number of positive attributes and trends:
| · | Software, technology-enabled and business services companies are among the largest and fastest-growing in the world, underlying virtually every industry and end market; |
| · | Software, technology-enabled and business services companies are typically mission critical for end customers resulting in attractive margin profiles, less cyclicality and more predictable cash flows; and |
| · | Software, technology-enabled and business services companies can result in above average growth rates and stability across economic cycles, and correspondingly, higher shareholder value. |
Business Combination Criteria
Our business combination criteria will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic sector, but given the experience of our management team, we expect to focus on acquiring a business combination target within the technology industry, like the software, technology-enabled and business services sectors or a related sector, with an enterprise value of approximately $250 million to $500 million. Our management team will look to identify business combination targets which are in need of strategic growth capital, will benefit from becoming a publicly listed company, may require creative business approaches to unlock additional value, or may need to repurchase debt, target strategic acquisitions or require working capital.
| · | Companies that can Benefit from our Expertise. We intend to target fundamentally sound corporate entities, with a platform that can benefit from the transactional, financial, managerial, and investment experience of our management team, board of directors, advisors and sponsor. |
| · | Benefits from Being a Public Company. We intend to pursue a business combination with a company that we believe will benefit from being publicly traded and can effectively utilize the broader access to capital and public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company. |
| · | Attractive Industry Sector. We intend to target companies that operate in the large and rapidly growing software, technology-enabled and business services sectors, which benefits from a robust mergers and acquisitions environment and a greater demand for capital as industries continue to invest in digital transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| · | Technology-Enablement. We intend to target companies that have created a competitive advantage in their respective industry sectors through their investment and use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Cloud Infrastructure, Data and Product Protection, Enterprise Software, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Mobile and Robotic Process Automation. |
| · | Strong Management Team. We intend to target companies with an experienced, ambitious and dynamic management team that is able to work closely and collaboratively with our management team and advisors to arrive at a mutually attractive business combination. |
| · | Sustainable and Scalable. We intend to target companies that operate a business with high barriers to entry and restrictions on competition, characterized by strong customer relationships and revenue streams driven by mission critical and high return-on-investment products and services with significant switching costs. |
| · | Attractive Return Potential. We intend to target companies that we believe will have an opportunity to improve their financial results by leveraging the expertise of our management team and improve valuation by clarifying a complex story that will appeal to the public markets, ultimately resulting in what we expect will be attractive risk-adjusted returns for stockholders. |
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 acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.
These criteria 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 guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria 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 in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Initial Business Combination
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) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. 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 that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not 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 a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We will have until 12 months from the closing of our IPO to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. Pursuant to the terms of our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on June 30, 2021, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination for an additional three months, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $1,062,600 in full ($0.10 per share) on or prior to the date of the deadline. We will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months). We will issue a press release announcing each extension, at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either: (i) in such a way so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses; or (ii) in such a way so 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 stockholders, or for other reasons. However, we will only complete an initial 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 stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial 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 capital stock 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 stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our 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 Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. If the initial 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 transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
Our Initial Business Combination Process
In evaluating prospective business combinations, we conduct, and expect to continue to conduct, a thorough due diligence review process that encompasses, among other things, a review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with management and their advisors (if applicable), on-site inspection of facilities and assets, discussion with customers and suppliers, legal reviews and other reviews as we deem appropriate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement units following our IPO 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. 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 were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. However, subject to any pre-existing contractual or fiduciary obligations, our sponsor and officers and directors will offer all suitable business combination opportunities within the technology industry (and other related sectors, as discussed elsewhere in this annual report) to us before any other person or company until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report).
Members of our management team are employed by or otherwise work with our sponsor or with entities affiliated with it (including G2 and VRME) or with other entities. Our sponsor and these other entities and their respective affiliates are continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination; we have not, however, selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them and our sponsor 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 business combination opportunity to such other entity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our sponsor and our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Our Management Team
Members of our management team 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 that any member of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
We believe our management team’s operating and transaction experience and relationships with companies will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships in various industries. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, our management team’s relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As a public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock in the target business for our shares of Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our shares of Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, marketing and road show efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with an initial business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed initial business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Following an initial business combination, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
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 independent registered public accounting firm 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 stockholder 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 our IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock 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.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 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 equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30th; or (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 equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30th.
Financial Position
With funds available for an initial business combination initially in the amount of $107,853,900, after payment of $3,719,100 of deferred underwriting commissions, in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, 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 or leverage 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.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following our IPO. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our IPO and the private placement of the private placement units, 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 our IPO or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, 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.
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 or used for redemptions of our Class A common stock, 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 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.
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 (which may include a specified future issuance), 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 larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement units, and may as a result 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 stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately, including pursuant to any specified future issuance, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. 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.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and investment professionals. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us by calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read our IPO prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as our sponsor and their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors and our sponsor and their affiliates. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). None of our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an initial business combination candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the initial 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 an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, 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 FINRA or an independent accounting firm that 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.
As more fully discussed in the section of our IPO prospectus entitled “Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
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) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of our initial business combination will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation, a valuation based on trading multiples of comparable public businesses or a valuation based on the financial metrics of M&A transactions of comparable businesses. 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 that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not 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 a target’s assets or prospects. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in our IPO to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective business target, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
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. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. 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’ 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.
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 an initial 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.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
Type of Transaction | | Whether Stockholder Approval is Required |
Purchase of assets | | No |
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company | | No |
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company | | No |
Merger of the company with a target | | Yes |
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| · | we issue shares of Class A common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our Class A common stock then outstanding; or |
| · | any of our directors, officers or substantial stockholders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding common shares or voting power of 5% or more; or |
| · | the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
Permitted Purchases of our Securities
If we seek stockholder 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 stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public rights in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. 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. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. 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. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public rights in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or 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. The purpose of any such purchases of public rights could be to reduce the number of public rights (or the securities underlying them) that are outstanding or to vote such rights on any matters submitted to the rights holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. 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 shares of Class A common stock or rights 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, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders 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 stockholders 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 stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of common stock 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 purchases are subject to such reporting requirements.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock 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 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 and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is approximately $10.15 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 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 shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder 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 stockholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. If we structure an initial business combination with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed initial business combination. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation:
| · | 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. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
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 stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of the underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation:
| · | 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 stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after our IPO (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, 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 initial stockholders’ founder shares, the private placement shares and the representative shares (if the holders of the representative shares also choose to vote in favor of the business combination), we would need only 3,646,916, or approximately 34.3%, (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) or 157,374, or approximately 1.5% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 10,626,000 public shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination. We intend to give approximately 30 days’ (but not less than 10 days’ nor more than 60 days’) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of the underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock 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 shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if we Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder 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 certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder 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 our IPO, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” Such restriction shall also be applicable to our affiliates. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed initial 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 stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our IPO could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in our IPO without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial 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 stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, 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 stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 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 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.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the initial business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the initial business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the initial business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the initial business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, 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 stockholders 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 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in our IPO prospectus).
Extension of Time to Complete Business Combination
We will have until 12 months from the closing of our IPO to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. Pursuant to the terms of our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on June 30, 2021, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination for an additional three months, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $1,062,600 ($0.10 per share) on or prior to the date of the deadline. We will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months). We will issue a press release announcing each extension, at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report) to complete our initial business combination. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 12-month time period (or 15 or 18-month period), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) 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 and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware 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 rights, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 12-month time period (or 15 or 18-month period).
Our 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 held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report). However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after our IPO, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 12-month time period (or 15 or 18-month period).
Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation: (i) 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 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report); or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock 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 and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of the underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above), we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.
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 $921,706 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any franchise and income tax obligations we may owe. 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 franchise and income taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, 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 our IPO and the sale of the private placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.15. 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 stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.15. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. 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.
Although we will seek 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 any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, 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 perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. 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. 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 (other than our independent public accountants) 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) $10.15 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 $10.15 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 our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, not 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 businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.15 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, 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 if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. 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 $10.15 per public 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 our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2021 we had approximately $921,706 from the proceeds of our IPO available outside of the trust account with which to pay any such potential claims (plus up to $100,000 of interest income from the trust account that we are permitted to use to pay costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation). In the event that we liquidate, and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in our IPO prospectus) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report), is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) 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 and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 12th month (or up to the 18th month) and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek 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 any monies held in the trust account. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.15 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.15 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. 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, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders 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 stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our certificate of incorporation: (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 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report); or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report), subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights as described above. These provisions of our certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic business combinations. 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 greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. 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 initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding rights, 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.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at 420 Boylston Street, Suite 302, Boston, MA 02116, and our telephone number is (617) 531-9911. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee that we pay our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two officers. 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 initial 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 have registered our units, Class A common stock and rights 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 stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders 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 targets 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 GAAP 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, 2022 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 company 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. We have filed 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 are 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 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 our IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of Class A common stock 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 during the prior three-year period.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Below is a partial list of material risks, uncertainties and other factors that could have a material effect on the Company and its operations. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risk factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business or results of operations. In the event these risks materialize, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report and other filings, before making a decision to invest in our securities.
RISKS RELATED TO THE CORONAVIRUS (“COVID-19”) PANDEMIC
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The significant outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. We may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors, or the target company’s personnel, vendors, and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
RISKS RELATED TO VOTING ON THE INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or will allow stockholders 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 stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the initial business combination we complete.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and private placement shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after our IPO (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, the private placement shares and the representative shares (if the holders of the representative shares also choose to vote in favor of the business combination), we would need only 3,646,916, or approximately 34.3%, (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) or 157,374, or approximately 1.5% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 10,626,000 public shares outstanding to be voted in favor of an initial business combination. Our initial stockholders own shares representing approximately 22.7% of our outstanding shares of common stock excluding the representative shares, or 23.9% including the representative shares. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors, and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder 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, directors, officers, advisors, or their affiliates may purchase shares or public rights or a combination thereof 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. 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 shares or public rights in such transactions.
Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, 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, directors, officers, advisors, or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, or 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. The purpose of any such purchases of public rights could be to reduce the number of public rights (or the securities underlying them) that are outstanding or to vote such rights on any matters submitted to the rights holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. 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.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public rights and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing, or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial stockholders own shares representing approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (excluding the private placement shares and representative shares). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect 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 initial business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
RISKS RELATED TO THE REDEMPTION OF SHARES
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the initial business combination.
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 an initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential 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 stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders 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 an initial business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into an initial business combination agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders 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 initial business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of the underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of the underwriters’ fees and commissions or such greater amount necessary 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 an initial business combination with us.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders 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 are 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. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. 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 stockholders 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 stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public stockholders 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 stock.
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 trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock 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 our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.
If a stockholder 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 tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder 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 redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or rights, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation 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 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report); and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report), subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of rights will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the rights. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or rights, potentially at a loss.
If we seek stockholder 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 stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder 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 certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder 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 our IPO without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ 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 stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
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 stockholders may be less than $10.15 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 (other than certain of our service providers, including, for example, 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 stockholders, 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 perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
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 stockholders could be less than the $10.15 per 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 Exhibit 10.1 to our registration statement, 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) $10.15 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 $10.15 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 our IPO 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 businesses.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of the IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18th month from the closing of our IPO in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete an initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of the underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder 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 their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock 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, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
RISKS RELATED TO PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING A TARGET AND CONSUMMATING AN INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION
Due to 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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our rights will expire worthless.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into business combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial business combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial business combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial business combination.
We also expect to encounter intense 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 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 greater technical, human and other resources or more 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, 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, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.15 per share upon our liquidation.
If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months (or 15 or 18 months) following our IPO, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our rights will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months (or 15 or 18 months) following our IPO, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months (or 15 or 18 months) following our IPO; 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 on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial 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. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.15 per share upon our liquidation.
If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient, 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 for an initial business combination, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Only approximately $921,706 are available to us outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. 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. None of 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 working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent units at a price of $10.00 per units (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 150,000 units if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. 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 obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. 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 cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.15 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares.
The securities in which we invest the proceeds 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 shareholders may be less than $10.15 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in U.S. Treasury obligations having a maturity of 180 days or less or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. 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 of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest of income (which we are permitted to use to pay our taxes and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $101,500,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.15 per share.
Subsequent to the 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 our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside 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. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are successfully able to 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 successfully able to bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the initial business combination constituted an actionable material misstatement or omission.
Since 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.
While we intend to seek to complete an initial business combination with an attractive company or business within the technology industry, specifically within software, technology-enabled and business services sector, we are not obligated to do so and may also pursue business combination opportunities in other industries, except that we will not, under our certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Since we have not yet selected or approached 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. 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. 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 securities 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 stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders 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.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries outside of our management’s area of expertise.
Although we intend to focus on identifying an operating company or business within the technology industry, specifically within software, technology-enabled and business services sector, we will consider an initial business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if an initial business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate in this sector after having expanded a reasonable amount of time and effort in an attempt to do so. 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 securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in our IPO than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in an initial 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 Annual Report on Form 10-K 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 adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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 stockholders 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 stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder 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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow, or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows, or earnings, and/or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not 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 are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price 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 entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders 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.
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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights 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, consultants 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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally 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, particularly Matthew Konkle, our Chief Executive Officer, and Don Van der Wiel, our Chief Financial Officer. 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 employ 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. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination 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 initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The grant of registration rights to holders of founder shares, private placement units, units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including in each case the underlying securities) and the representative shares may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exchange of such rights for shares of Class A common stock may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in our IPO, holders of the founders shares, private placement units and units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including in each case the underlying securities) and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of such securities. In addition, the representative may demand that we register the resale of the representative shares. 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 common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders 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 common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders or holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
We may issue additional common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock 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 certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. There are 88,698,330 and 17,343,500 authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exchange of outstanding rights, including the private placement rights, but not the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. Immediately after the consummation of the IPO, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Shares of Class B common stock are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our certificate of incorporation provides that we may not issue securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon conversion of the Class B common stock 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 certificate of incorporation. However, our certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to: (i) receive funds from the trust account; or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation: (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 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report); or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
| · | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in our IPO; |
| · | may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
| · | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock 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; and |
| · | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or rights. |
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| · | higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
| · | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| · | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
| · | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
| · | tariffs and trade barriers; |
| · | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| · | longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| · | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| · | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| · | cultural and language differences; |
| · | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
| · | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
| · | government appropriations of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete an initial business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this Annual Report to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following our IPO, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We 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 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 common stock; |
| · | 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 common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund 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; |
| · | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
| · | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may be able to complete only one business combination with the proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement units, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.
Only $107,857,461 will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to $3,719,100, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
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. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in 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. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with 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 an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our initial 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 an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.00. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
If we have inadequate cash simultaneously to meet the closing requirements of an initial business combination and redeem all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption, we will return all shares submitted for redemption and continue to pursue an alternative transaction.
In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock 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 would not be able to complete the business combination or redeem any such shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption would be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead will search for an alternate initial business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination. Amending our certificate of incorporation will require the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock. In addition, our certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report). To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any securities offered through our registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our certificate of incorporation 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 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our IPO and the private placement of units into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders will own shares representing approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (excluding the private placement shares and representative shares and assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase any units in our IPO), will participate in any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation 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 certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our certificate of incorporation.
Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation: (i) 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 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report); or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock 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, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders 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 or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
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 larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement units. As a result, 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, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights 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 stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our units will expire worthless. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “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 stockholders may be less than $10.15 per share,” under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less than $10.15 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.
Because we must furnish our stockholders 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 a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. 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, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or 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), or 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.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
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 seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and 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.
Certain agreements related to our IPO may be amended without shareholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to our IPO, the investment management trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers and directors, the registration rights agreement among us and certain holders of our securities and the administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to our IPO contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction with such target business (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
RISKS RELATED TO THE TIMING OF COMPLETING AN INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets 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 stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial 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.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our rights will expire worthless.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report). In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) 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 and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.15 per share, and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BOARD, MANAGEMENT TEAM, AND SPONSOR
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 stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of: (i) $10.15 per share; and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account, as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.15 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay taxes, 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, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. 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 stockholders may be reduced below $10.15 per share.
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 stockholders 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 stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’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.
Past performance by the members of our management team or entities with which they are or have been affiliated may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Past performance by the members of our management team in their other endeavors or the other entities with which they are or have been affiliated is not a guarantee of future success. We cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or that any business combination we consummate will be successful. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance, or the performance of any other entities with which our management team is or has been affiliated, as indicative of our future performance or how an investment in our company will perform or the returns our company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. None of our management team has had experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their departure 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. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. 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 key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. 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 the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial 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 initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
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’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’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 stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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.
Our 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 an initial 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 officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. In particular, our officers and directors may be employed by or otherwise work with, G2, VRME, our sponsor or other entities that are investment managers to various public and private investment funds, which make investments in securities or other interests of or relating to companies in industries we may target for our initial business combination. Our officers and directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our 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.
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of our IPO 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 officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Subject to any pre-existing contractual or fiduciary obligations, our sponsor and officers and directors shall offer all suitable business combination opportunities within the technology industry (and other related sectors, as discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report) to us before any other person or company until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report).
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties.
Accordingly, our officers and directors 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 certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Our 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 an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not 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.
In particular, our sponsor and its affiliates (including G2 and VRME), as well as other entities affiliated with our officers and directors, may also invest in companies or businesses within the technology industry, specifically within software, technology-enabled and business services sector. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.
We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. 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 preliminary discussions concerning an initial 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 an initial business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On March 9, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0087 per share, and later transferred a total of 210,000 founder shares to our officers and directors leaving our Sponsor with 2,665,000 founder shares. On August 14, 2021, the Sponsor forfeited, and the Company cancelled, an aggregate of 218,500 founder shares upon the expiration of the unexercised portion of the over-allotment option. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and Maxim and/or their designees purchased an aggregate of 569,410 units, of which Maxim and/or its designees purchased 53,130 private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,649,100, that will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Holders of founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or in connection with a tender offer. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our 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.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We may structure an initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders 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 stockholders prior to the 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 initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock 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 shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. 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.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders 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 preferred 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.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions 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 certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.
Our certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action: (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination); (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery; (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction; or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may make it more costly for a stockholder to bring a claim, and it may also limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders cannot waive our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, 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.
RISKS RELATED TO SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION COMPANIES (“SPACS”), GENERALLY
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 common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.
Upon the closing of our IPO, our initial stockholders have invested in us an aggregate of $5,719,100, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $5,694,100 purchase price for the private placement units (including 53,130 private placement units to be purchased by Maxim and/or its designees). Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 2,656,500 founder shares, the 569,410 private placement shares and the 56,941 shares underlying the private placement rights would have an aggregate implied value of $32,828,510. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as $1.73 per share the value of the founder shares would be approximately equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which are part of our initial stockholders, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public shareholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public shareholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team's financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.
We are a newly formed 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 newly formed company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through our IPO. 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 with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning an initial 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.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends are likely to continue into the future.
The representative may have a conflict of interest if they render services to us in connection with our initial business combination.
We may elect to engage Maxim Group LLC (who is the representative of the underwriters of our IPO) to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. The representative shares held by the representative and/or its designees will also be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. Therefore, if the representative provides services to us in connection with our initial business combination, these financial interests may result in the representative having a conflict of interest when providing such services to us.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement units are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $10,000,000 and have filed 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 initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if our IPO 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.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. 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, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
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.
RISKS RELATED TO BEING PUBLICLY TRADED
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.
Our units, shares, and rights have been approved to be listed on Nasdaq. We cannot assure you that our securities 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 stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 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, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
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 common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock 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 they are listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A common stock and rights will be covered securities. 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 be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
RISKS RELATED TO CERTAIN LAWS AND REGULATIONS
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.
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. |
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete an initial business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 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. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation: (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 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report); or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of our IPO (or 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report), our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to 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 an initial business combination or may result in our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth 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 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 stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders 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 common stock 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 accountant standards used. Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 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 common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30th; or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals 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.
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, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer 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 company 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.
RISKS RELATED TO TAX CONSIDERATIONS
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite stockholder approval under Delaware law, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a stockholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders to pay such taxes. Stockholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR SECURITIES
Holders of rights will not have redemption rights and the rights will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we redeem the funds held in the trust account, the rights will lapse, and holders will not receive any of the amounts held in the trust account in exchange for such rights. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we redeem the public shares for the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds for their rights and the rights will expire worthless.
Because each unit contains one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination, and rights may only be exchanged for whole shares, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination. No fractional shares will be issued in exchange for rights. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least ten units, you will not be able to receive a whole share in exchange for your rights. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include warrants or rights to acquire or receive one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the rights upon completion of an initial business combination, 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 they included a warrant or right to acquire one whole share.
We may amend the terms of the rights in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public rights with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding rights. As a result, the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of a right could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our rights will be issued in book-entry form under a rights agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights agent, and us. The rights agreement provides that the terms of the rights 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 a majority of the then outstanding rights to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of rights. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the rights in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding rights approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the rights with the consent of at least a majority of the then outstanding rights is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of a right.
Our rights agreement designates 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 rights, which could limit the ability of rights holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our rights agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the rights 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.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the rights 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 rights shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our rights agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the rights 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 rights\, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (A) 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 (B) having service of process made upon such rights holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such rights holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such rights holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a rights 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. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our rights 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.
Our rights and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We issued rights to purchase 1,062,600 shares of our Class A common stock as part of our IPO and, simultaneously with the closing of our IPO, we issued in a private placement, private placement units including private placement rights to receive an aggregate of 56,941 shares of Class A common stock upon completion of our initial business combination for no additional consideration. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 2,656,500 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor or its affiliates, or any of our officers or directors, makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into private placement-equivalent units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 150,000 units if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exchange of these rights could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to complete the initial business combination. Therefore, our rights may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement units are identical to the units sold as part of the units in our IPO except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor, Maxim or their permitted transferees, (i) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of these rights) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to certain registration rights.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We do not own any real estate or other physical properties. We currently maintain our executive offices at 420 Boylston Street, Suite 302, Boston, MA 02116. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee that we will pay our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our units, public shares and public warrants are each traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “GGGVU,” “GGGV” and “GGGVR,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on July 1, 2021, and our public shares and public warrants commenced separate public trading on August 17, 2021.
Holders
On March 18, 2022, there were 3 holders of record of our units, 2 holders of record of our Class A common stock, 6 holders of record of our Class B common stock and 1 holder of record of our stock rights.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans.
None.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities and Use of Proceeds from the Initial Public Offering
On July 6, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 10,626,000 Units, including 626,000 Units pursuant to partial exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value (“Common Stock”), and one right (“Right”) to receive one-tenth (1/10) of a share of Common Stock upon the consummation of a Business Combination. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $106,260,000. The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments. Maxim Group LLC acted as the sole book running managers of the offering. The securities sold in the offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-255226). The SEC declared the registration statement effective on June 30, 2021.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 569,410 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per unit in the Private Placement to our Sponsor and Maxim and their designees, that closed simultaneously with the Initial Public Offering generating total proceeds $5,694,100. The Private Placement Units were issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as the transactions did not involve a public offering. The Private Placement Units are identical to the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering. Additionally, such initial purchasers agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Units or underlying securities (except in limited circumstances, as described in the Registration Statement) until 30 days following the completion of the Company’s initial business combination. Such initial purchasers were granted certain demand and piggyback registration rights in connection with the purchase of the Private Units. The Private Units were issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as the transactions did not involve a public offering.
A total of $107,853,900 of the net proceeds from the sale of Units in the Initial Public Offering (including the over-allotment option Units), were placed in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public shareholders at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental, acting as trustee. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act.
We paid a total of $2,018,940 underwriting discounts and commissions and $461,530 for other offering costs and expenses related to the Initial Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters agreed to defer $3,719,100 in underwriting discounts and commissions.
There has been no material change in the planned use of the proceeds from the IPO as is described in our final prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) (File No. 333-255226).
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
References in this Annual report to “we,” “us” or the “Company” refer to G3 VRM Acquisition Corp. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, and references to the “Sponsor” refer to G3 VRM Holdings LLC. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Annual Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) that are not historical facts and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected and projected. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K including, without limitation, statements in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the completion of a Business Combination (as defined below), the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Words such as “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “seek” and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance, but reflect management’s current beliefs, based on information currently available. A number of factors could cause actual events, performance or results to differ materially from the events, performance and results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including that the conditions of a Business Combination are not satisfied. For information identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors section of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Company’s securities filings can be accessed on the EDGAR section of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Overview
The Company was incorporated in Delaware on February 19, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business transaction with one or more businesses that the Company has not yet identified (a “Business Combination”). The Company will focus initially on transactions with companies and/or assets within the technology industry, specifically within software, technology-enabled and business services sector, and related sectors. However, the Company is not limited to the technology industry, or these sectors therein, and the Company may pursue a Business Combination opportunity in any business or industry it chooses, and it may pursue a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.
Results of Operations
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced revenue-generating any operations. All activity through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described in Note 3 to the financial statements, and, since the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.
For the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had a net loss of $466,697, which consisted of general and administrative and other professional fees related to the Company’s formation and public offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on June 30, 2021. On July 6, 2021, the Company consummated the initial public offering of 10,626,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating proceeds of $106,260,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 569,410 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement to our Sponsor and Maxim Group LLC and their designees (the “Private Placement”).
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on July 6, 2021, an amount of $107,853,900 ($10.15 per unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Units was placed in a trust account and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to the Company to pay its franchise and income tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Units will not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest of: (a) the completion of a Business Combination; (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s certificate of incorporation; and (c) the redemption of the Company’s public shares if the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 or 18 months, if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, as described in more detail in this Annual Report), subject to applicable law.
For the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, there was $714,635 of cash used in operating activities, cash used in investing activities of $107,857,461 related to the marketable securities held in the trust account, and $109,493,802 of cash provided by financing activities, primarily from the issuance of redeemable Class A Units in the Company’s IPO and the Private Placement.
As of December 31, 2021, we had $107,857,461 in marketable securities held in the Trust Account.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less income taxes payable), to complete a Business Combination. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete a 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.
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $921,706. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to 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.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor, or certain of the Company's officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required ("Working Capital Loans"). Such Working Capital Loans would be convertible into private placement-equivalent units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 150,000 units if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to a Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete a Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of a Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2021. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay our Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. The Company has paid $60,000 to the Sponsor through December 31, 2021 for administrative support services. However, pursuant to the terms of such agreement, the Company may delay payment of such monthly fee upon a determination by the Company’s Audit Committee that the Company lacks sufficient funds held outside the Trust Account to pay actual or anticipated expenses in connection with a Business Combination. For the three months ended December 31, 2021 and the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 the Company has not incurred any amounts under this arrangement.
The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $3,719,100 (which includes the deferred portion of the fee attributable to the underwriters’ partial exercise of the overallotment option). The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of condensed financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Net Loss Per Common Share
Net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. At December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per common share is the same as basic loss per common share for the periods presented.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our condensed financial statements.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
This information appears following Item 16 of this Annual Report commencing on page F-1 and is included herein by reference.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer have concluded that during the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level and, accordingly, provided reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
This Report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by the rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the most recent fiscal quarter covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Officers and Directors
Our officers and directors are as follows:
Name | | | Age | | | Position |
Matthew Konkle | | | 48 | | | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors |
Don Van der Wiel | | | 62 | | | Chief Financial Officer |
Tamar Elkeles | | | 53 | | | Director |
Marshall Geller | | | 83 | | | Director |
Theresa L. Mock | | | 58 | | | Director |
Michael T. Sullivan | | | 50 | | | Director |
Matthew Konkle has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since April 2021. Since October 2021, Mr. Konkle has served as President for G2 Capital Advisors, LLC. Previously, Mr. Konkle served in other capacities at G2 Capital Advisors, LLC as the Senior Managing Director and Head of Industry Teams from October 2018 to October 2021, Executive Chairman and Chief Restructuring Officer from July 2016 to October 2018, as well as the Managing Director of Technology & Business Services from January 2016 to September 2019. Mr. Konkle was previously the Chief Operating Officer at Speed Commerce, Inc. from November 2014 to December 2015 and served as the President of Sigma Holdings, LLC and Sigma Micro from August 2009 to November 2014 and July 2007 to August 2009, respectively. Mr. Konkle also has experience in finance, having served as the Chief Financial Officer of Sigma Micro and Reverse911 and the Director of Finance and Operations at Aprimo, Inc. Mr. Konkle currently serves on the board of directors for Duramark Technologies, Inc. Previously, he has served on the board of directors for Legacy Supply Chain Services, Inc.
Don Van der Wiel has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2021. Mr. Van der Wiel has served as Managing Director of G2 Capital Advisors, LLC an affiliate of CISCAP 4 and our sponsor, since January, 2018. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. Van der Wiel served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of private equity-backed Parker School Uniforms, Inc. Parker School Uniforms, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2018. Previously, Mr. Van der Wiel served as Chief Financial Officer of Sigma Holdings, LLC and hhgregg, Inc. during its initial public offering, as well as Vice President of Finance and Principal Financial Officer for Buffets Holdings, Inc. for several public offerings. Mr. Van der Wiel has over 35 years of financial management experience in public and private companies including positions at Things Remembered, Inc., The William Carter Company, Sears, Roebuck and Co., and Deloitte & Touche.
Tamar Elkeles serves as one of our directors and joined our board of directors upon effectiveness of our IPO. Dr. Elkeles has nearly 30 years of experience in the high technology industry. From 2019 to 2021, Dr. Elkeles was the Chief Human Resources Officer at XCOM Labs, Inc., a wireless technology company. Previously, she was Chief Talent Executive for Atlantic Bridge Capital from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that she was the Chief People Officer at Quixey, Inc. from 2015 to 2016. From 1992 to 2015, she served as the Chief Learning Officer at Qualcomm, during which time the company grew from 700 employees to over 31,000 worldwide. Dr. Elkeles recently served on the Board of Directors of GP Strategies Corporation (NYSE:GPX) until its sale to Learning Technologies Group (LON: LTG). She currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Forbes School of Business & Technology at The University of Arizona and the Editorial Board for "Chief Learning Officer", a multimedia publication focused on the enterprise learning market. Previously she was on the Board of Directors, and is still a very active member of, the Association for Talent Development. Dr. Elkeles also serves as a strategic advisor to several start-up companies in the technology sector. Dr. Elkeles brings experience as a technology executive, Chief Human Resources Officer and relationships with other human capital executives at global Fortune 500 companies and in the overall technology field. She holds both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology. Dr. Elkeles is qualified to serve on our Board because of her extensive management experience and her experience in the technology sector.
Marshall Geller serves as one of our directors and joined our board of directors upon effectiveness of our IPO. Mr. Geller recently served as a director and a member of the audit committee of GP Strategies Corporation (NYSE:GPX) since 2002 until its sale to Learning Technologies Group (LON: LTG). Mr. Geller has been a director and a member of the audit and the corporate governance committees of VerifyMe, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRME) since July 2017. Mr. Geller was a director of Wright Investors’ Service Holdings Inc. (OTCMKT:WISH), formerly National Patent Development Corporation, from January 2015 until October 2018. He is also currently a Director of Easy Smart Pay, a public-private partnership of the California State Association of Counties Finance Corporation. Mr. Geller formerly served as a director of California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ:CPKI) from 2008 until 2011, and Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) from 1994 until 2003. Mr. Geller was a founder of St. Cloud Capital, a Los Angeles based private equity fund, and Senior Investment Advisor from December 2001 until September 2017. He has spent more than 50 years in corporate finance and investment banking, including 21 years as a Senior Managing Partner of Bear, Stearns & Co., with oversight of all operations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Hong Kong and the Far East. Mr. Geller is currently on the Board of Directors of UCLA Health System and on the Board of Governors of Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Mr. Geller also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Business & Economics at California State University, Los Angeles. Mr. Geller is qualified to serve on our Board because of his extensive management experience and his significant knowledge of corporate finance.
Theresa L. Mock serves as one of our directors and joined our board of directors upon effectiveness of our IPO. She has over 25 years of experience in technology-enabled services, with expertise in SaaS applications, enterprise software, digital media, and ecommerce. Since January 2020, Ms. Mock has served as the Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Rave Mobile Safety, a SaaS communications software company for public safety. From 2017 to 2019, Ms. Mock served as the Chief Operating Officer at Cybba, Inc., and from 2015 to 2017, she served as Chief Revenue Officer at Ve Interactive North America, both digital media companies. Prior to that, Ms. Mock served in management roles in Global Marketing and Strategy at Deltek, an enterprise software company from 2011 to 2014, OpSec Security, a technology services company from 2007 to 2011, and Aspen Technology, an asset optimization software company from 1992 to 1998. Ms. Mock holds a Master of Business Administration, Master and Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and was a Leaders for Global Operations fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ms. Mock is qualified to serve on our Board because of her extensive management experience in the technology sector, and her significant knowledge of the tech-enabled services industry.
Michael T. Sullivan serves as one of our directors and joined our board of directors upon effectiveness of our IPO. Since 2017, Mr. Sullivan has been Managing Principal of MTS Advisory LLC through which he provides advisory services and serves as an Independent Director for companies undergoing operational and financial restructurings. He currently serves on the board of GT USA Wilmington, LLC. Prior to founding his firm, Mr. Sullivan was a Managing Director in the Distressed Securities Group at Angelo, Gordon & Co., an alternative asset management firm, where he worked from 2007 to 2016. Prior to Angelo, Gordon, Mr. Sullivan was an investment banker in the Restructuring Group at UBS Investment Bank from 2001 to 2007. Mr. Sullivan also currently serves on the boards of Broadway Housing Communities, Inc., as well as its Foundation and Global Grassroots, each a non-profit organization. Mr. Sullivan has previously served on the boards of J.D. Norman Industries, Inc., K.R. Drenth Trucking, Inc., The Paper Store LLC, Benevis Corp., Frontier Spinning Mills, Inc., Emtec, Inc., Dominion Diagnostics, LLC, Fallbrook Technologies, Inc., and Ensequence, Inc. Mr. Sullivan holds an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, a M.A.L.D from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and an A.B. from Bowdoin College. Mr. Sullivan is qualified to serve on our Board because of his extensive management experience.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
We have five directors. Our board of directors will be divided into two 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 meeting of stockholders) serving a two-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Michael T. Sullivan, Theresa L. Mock, and Tamar Elkeles, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Matthew Konkle and Marshall Geller, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders.
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 bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretaries, and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, Nasdaq 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 rules require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. Michael T. Sullivan, Theresa L. Mock, and Tamar Elkeles serve as members of our audit committee, and Mr. Sullivan chairs the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Each of Michael T. Sullivan, Theresa L. Mock, and Tamar Elkeles meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Sullivan qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| · | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| · | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| · | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations; |
| · | 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 registered public accounting firm describing: (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures; (ii) 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; and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence; |
| · | 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 registered public accounting firm, 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
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Michael T. Sullivan, Theresa L. Mock, and Tamar Elkeles serve as members of our compensation committee. Under the 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. Michael T. Sullivan, Theresa L. Mock, and Tamar Elkeles are independent, and Tamar Elkeles chairs the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details 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, if any is paid by us, 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 approving on an annual basis the compensation, if any is paid by us, of all of our other officers; |
| · | reviewing on an annual basis 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; |
| · | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
| · | if required, 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, as indicated above, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting, or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, 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 also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, 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.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Michael T. Sullivan, Theresa L. Mock, and Tamar Elkeles. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.
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 stockholders.
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.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a code of conduct and ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, a copy of which is attached as an exhibit to this Annual Report. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our code of conduct and ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. We will make a printed copy of our code of conduct and ethics available to any stockholder who so requests.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Officer and Director Compensation
Our sponsor has transferred certain founder shares to our directors and executive officers. None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Our sponsor, officers, and directors, or any of their respective affiliates 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 reviews, 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 have been and 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.
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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders 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.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K by:
| • | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
| • | each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns shares of our common stock; and |
| • | all our executive officers and directors 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 shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement rights as these rights are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this Report.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) | | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | | | Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock | |
G3 VRM Holdings LLC (our sponsor) (2)(3) | | | 2,962,780 | | | | 21.2 | % |
Matthew Konkle (2)(3)(4) | | | 3,077,780 | | | | 22.1 | % |
Don Van der Wiel (2) | | | 35,000 | | | | 0.3 | % |
Tamar Elkeles (2) | | | 20,000 | | | | 0.1 | % |
Marshall Geller | | | - | | | | 0.0 | % |
Theresa L. Mock (2) | | | 20,000 | | | | 0.1 | % |
Michael T. Sullivan (2) | | | 20,000 | | | | 0.1 | % |
All executive officers and directors as a group (6 individuals) | | | 3,172,780 | | | | 22.7 | % |
Saba Capital Management, L.P.(5) | | | 901,959 | | | | 8.0 | % |
| | | | | | | | |
Periscope Capital Inc.(6) | | | 574,800 | | | | 5.1 | % |
Weiss Asset Management LP (7) | | | 800,000 | | | | 7.1 | % |
Shaolin Capital Management LLC (8) | | | 575,000 | | | | 5.1 | % |
Hudson Bay Capital Management LP(9) | | | 974,596 | | | | 8.6 | % |
Polar Asset Management Partner Inc. (10) | | | 975,000 | | | | 8.6 | % |
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o G3 VRM Acquisition Corp., 420 Boylston Street, Suite 302, Boston, MA 02116. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist of founder shares, which are shares of Class B common stock. Such shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. |
| (3) | G3 VRM Holdings LLC, our sponsor, is the record holder of the shares reported herein. The members of G3 VRM Holdings LLC are CISCAP 4, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and VerifyMe, Inc., a Nevada corporation. Matthew Konkle, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, is the Chief Executive Officer of G3 VRM Holdings LLC. Accordingly, CISCAP 4, VRME and Mr. Konkle have shared voting and investment discretion with respect to the shares held by G3 VRM Holdings LLC, and as such, each of them may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the Class B common stock held directly by G3 VRM Holdings LLC. Each of CISCAP 4, VRME and Mr. Konkle disclaim any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. In addition to 2,446,500 founder shares, includes 516,280 Class A shares underlying 516,280 private placement units purchased in connection with our initial public offering. As a result of its purchase of 516,280 private placement units, our sponsor also holds rights to receive 51,628 additional shares of Class A common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination. |
| (4) | Includes 115,000 founder shares held directly by Mr. Konkle, plus 2,962,780 shares owned by our sponsor, G3 VRM Holdings LLC. Mr. Konkle is the Chief Executive Officer of our sponsor. As such, Mr. Konkle may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the shares held directly by our sponsor. Mr. Konkle disclaims beneficial ownership of the securities owned by G3 VRM Holdings LLC, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest, if any, therein. |
| (5) | Based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022 on behalf of Saba Capital Management, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“Saba Capital”), Saba Capital Management GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Saba GP”), and Mr. Boaz R. Weinstein (“Mr. Weinstein”). The principal business address for each of Saba Capital, Saba GP and Mr. Weinstein is 405 Lexington Avenue, 58th Floor, New York, New York 10174. |
| (6) | Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022 on behalf of Periscope Capital Inc. (“Periscope”), which is the beneficial owner of 574,800 shares of common stock, acts as investment manager of, and exercises investment discretion with respect to, certain private investment funds that collectively directly own 305,600 shares of common stock. The address of the principal business office of Periscope is 333 Bay Street, Suite 1240, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2R2. |
| (7) | Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 11, 2022 on behalf of Weiss Asset Management LP (“Weiss Asset Management”), WAM GP LLC (“WAM GP”) and Andrew M. Weiss, Ph.D. (“Andrew Weiss”). Weiss Asset Management is the sole investment manager to a private investment partnership, (the “Partnership”) and private investment funds (“Funds”). WAM GP is the sole general partner of Weiss Asset Management. Andrew Weiss is the managing member of WAM GP. Shares reported for WAM GP, Andrew Weiss and Weiss Asset Management include shares beneficially owned by the Partnership and the Funds. Each of WAM GP, Weiss Asset Management, and Andrew Weiss disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares reported as beneficially owned by each except to the extent of their respective pecuniary interest therein. The address of the principal business office of Weiss Asset Management, WAM GP and Andrew M. Weiss is 222 Berkeley St., 16th floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116. |
| (8) | Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 11, 2022 on behalf of Shaolin Capital Management LLC, a company incorporated under the laws of State of Delaware, which serves as the investment advisor to Shaolin Capital Partners Master Fund, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company, MAP 214 Segregated Portfolio, a segregated portfolio of LMA SPC, and DS Liquid DIV RVA SCM LLC being managed accounts advised by the Shaolin Capital Management LLC. The address of the principal business office of Shaolin Capital Management LLC is 7610 NE 4th Court, Suite 104 Miami FL 33138. |
| (9) | Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 8, 2022 on behalf of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, which serves as the investment manager to HB Strategies LLC and Hudson Bay SPAC Master Fund LP, in whose name the securities reported herein are held. As such, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of all securities held by HB Strategies LLC and Hudson Bay SPAC Master Fund LP. Sander Gerber serves as the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP. Mr. Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities. The business address of each of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP and Mr. Gerber is 28 Havemeyer Place, 2nd Floor, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830. |
| (10) | Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 8, 2022 on behalf of Polar Asset Management Partners Inc., which serves the investment advisor to Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund (“PMSMF”) with respect to the shares directly held by PMSMF. The business address of Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. is 16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON, Canada M5J 0E6. |
Our initial stockholders beneficially own approximately 22.7% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock. Because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
The holders of the founder shares have agreed: (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination; and (B) not to redeem any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or in connection with a tender offer.
Our sponsor and our executive officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units
The founder shares, private placement units, and any shares of Class A common stock included in, issued upon conversion or exchange thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination; or (ii) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities, or other property (except as described under the section of our initial public offering prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 60 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions. In addition, the lock-up provisions of the insider letter provide that the founder shares and the private placement units, and any shares of Class A common stock included in, issued upon conversion or exchange thereof are not transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. However, any such securities may be transferred or sold: (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of one of the individual’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 the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or our sponsor’s certificate of incorporation upon dissolution of our sponsor; or (h) in the event of our liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (g) 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 agreements, and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account, and liquidation distributions described in our IPO prospectus).
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement units, units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including in each case the underlying securities) and the representative shares will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with our initial public offering, requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A common stock). The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the underwriters may not exercise their demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years after the effective date of the registration statement and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Table
None.
Changes in Control
None.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
On March 9, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares to our sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 in cash, or approximately $0.0087 per share, and later transferred a total of 210,000 founder shares to our officers and directors leaving our sponsor with 2,665,000 founder shares. On August 14, 2021, the sponsor forfeited, and the Company cancelled, an aggregate of 218,500 founder shares upon the expiration of the unexercised portion of the over-allotment option. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of our IPO (excluding the private placement shares and representative shares). The founder shares (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
Our sponsor and Maxim and/or their designees have purchased an aggregate of 569,410 units, of which Maxim and/or its designees have purchased 53,130 private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,649,100. The private placement units are identical to the units sold in our IPO except that the private placement units (and the underlying securities), so long as they are held by our sponsor, Maxim or their permitted transferees: (i) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and (ii) will be entitled to registration rights. The private placement units (including the underlying securities) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned, or sold by the holder.
As more fully discussed in the section of this Annual Report entitled “Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any 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. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
We entered into an Administrative Services Agreement with our sponsor pursuant to which we pay a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of our initial business combination takes the maximum 12 months (or up to 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), an affiliate of our sponsor will be paid a total of $120,000 (or $180,000 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) ($10,000 per month) for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses. You will not be able to vote on or redeem your shares in connection with any such extension.
Our sponsor, officers and directors 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 and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the closing of our IPO, our sponsor loaned us $268,309 to be used for a portion of the expenses of our IPO. These loans were non-interest bearing, unsecured and due at the closing of our IPO. The loan was repaid upon the closing of our IPO out of the offering proceeds that were allocated to the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). The value of our sponsor’s interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under such loan.
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 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 units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 150,000 units if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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.
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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. 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 stockholder 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 entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement units, the units issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the underlying the foregoing securities, and the representative shares.
We paid a total of $2,018,940 of underwriting discounts and commissions and $461,530 for other offering costs and expenses related to the Initial Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters agreed to defer $3,719,100 in underwriting discounts and commissions.
Related Party Policy
Prior to our initial public offering, we had not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
We have adopted a code of ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the Company. A copy of the code of ethics that we adopted was filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we adopted prior to the consummation of the initial public offering, is responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. A copy of the audit committee charter that we adopted prior to the consummation of the initial public offering was filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We also require each of our directors and officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of the sponsor or officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, non-cash payments, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to the sponsor, our officers or directors, or any affiliate of the sponsor or our officers 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) other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of the initial public offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
| · | Repayment of up to an aggregate of $268,309 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| · | Payment to our sponsor of $10,000 per month, for up to 12 months (or up to 15 or 18 months from the closing of our IPO if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support; |
| · | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating 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, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. 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. |
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.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Michael T. Sullivan, Theresa L. Mock, and Tamar Elkeles are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The following is a summary of fees paid to MaloneBailey LLP, for services rendered.
Audit Fees
Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements, reviews of our quarterly financial statements and services that are normally provided by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by MaloneBailey, LLP for audit fees, inclusive of required filings with the SEC for the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and of services rendered in connection with our initial public offering, totaled $60,000.
Audit-Related Fees
Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our year-end financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultation concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay any audit-related fees during the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Tax Fees
Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice. We did not pay any tax fees during the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
All Other Fees
All other fees consist of fees billed for all other services. We did not pay any other fees during the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
| (2) | Financial Statements Schedule | |
| | | |
| | None. | |
| | | |
| (3) | Exhibits | |
The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including the Company. Copies of the exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be obtained on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
No. | | Description of Exhibit |
3.1 | | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation(1) |
3.2 | | Amended and Restated Bylaws(2) |
4.1 | | Rights Agreement, dated June 30, 2021, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company(1) |
4.2 | | Specimen Unit Certificate(2) |
4.3 | | Specimen Class A common stock Certificate(2) |
4.4 | | Specimen Rights Certificate(2) |
4.6* | | Description of Registered Securities |
10.1 | | Letter Agreements, dated June 30, 2021, by and between the Company’s officers, directors and certain shareholders(1) |
10.2 | | Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated June 30, 2021, by and between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company(1) |
10.3 | | Registration Rights Agreement, dated June 30, 2021, by and among the Company and the initial shareholders of the Company(1) |
10.4 | | Private Placement Unit Purchase Agreement, dated June 30, 2021, by and between the Company, G3 VRM Holdings LLC and Maxim Partners LLC(1) |
10.5 | | Indemnity Agreements, dated June 30, 2021, by and among the Company and the directors and officers of the Company(1) |
10.6 | | Administrative Service Agreement, dated June 30, 2021, by and between the Company and G3 VRM Holdings LLC(1) |
10.9 | | Securities Subscription Agreement, dated February 22, 2021 between the Registrant and G3 VRM Holdings LLC(2) |
14.1 | | Code of Ethics(2) |
31.1* | | Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
31.2* | | Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
32.1** | | Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
32.2** | | Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
101.INS* | | XBRL Instance Document. The instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. |
101.SCH* | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. |
101.CAL* | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. |
101.LAB* | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. |
101.PRE* | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. |
101.DEF* | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. |
104 | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
| (1) | Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 7, 2021 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (2) | Previously filed as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on April 14, 2021, as amended, and incorporated by reference herein. |
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
SIGNATURES
In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| G3 VRM ACQUISITION CORP. |
| | |
Date: | March 25, 2022 | By: | /s/ Matthew Konkle |
| Name: | Matthew Konkle |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
| | (Principal Executive Officer) |
| | | |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature | | Title | | Date |
| | | | |
/s/ Matthew Konkle | | Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and Director | | March 25, 2022 |
Matthew Konkle | | (Principal Executive Officer) | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Don Van der Wiel | | Chief Financial Officer and Secretary | | March 25, 2022 |
Don Van der Wiel | | (Principal Accounting and Financial Officer) | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Tamar Elkeles | | Director | | March 25, 2022 |
Tamar Elkeles | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Marshall Geller | | Director | | March 25, 2022 |
Marshall Geller | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Theresa L. Mock | | Director | | March 25, 2022 |
Theresa L. Mock | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Michael T. Sullivan | | Director | | March 25, 2022 |
Michael T. Sullivan | | | | |
G3 VRM Acquisition Corp.
Financial Statements
For Period From February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM (PCAOB ID 206)
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
G3 VRM Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of G3 VRM Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, and the related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ MaloneBailey, LLP
www.malonebailey.com
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2021
Houston, Texas
March 25, 2022
G3 VRM Acquisition Corp.
Balance Sheet
as of December 31, 2021
| | December 31, 2021 | |
ASSETS | | | |
Current assets: | | | | |
Cash | | $ | 921,706 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | 264,074 | |
Total current assets | | | 1,185,780 | |
| | | | |
Marketable Securities held in trust account | | | 107,857,461 | |
| | | | |
Total assets | | $ | 109,043,241 | |
| | | | |
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT | | | | |
Current liabilities: | | | | |
Accounts payable | | $ | 11,308 | |
Total current liabilities | | | 11,308 | |
| | | | |
Deferred underwriting fee payable | | | 3,719,100 | |
Total non-current liabilities | | | 3,719,100 | |
| | | | |
Total liabilities | | | 3,730,408 | |
| | | | |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | | | | |
Mezzanine equity | | | | |
Class A Common stock subject to possible redemption, 10,626,000 shares outstanding common stock at redemption value of $10.15 per share | | | 107,853,900 | |
Stockholders' deficit: | | | | |
Preferred stock; $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, NaN issued and outstanding | | | 0- | |
Class A Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 675,670 shares outstanding common stock (excluding 10,626,000 shares subject to redemption) | | | 68 | |
| | | | |
Class B Common stock; $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 2,656,500 shares issued outstanding | | | 266 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | (2,074,704 | ) |
Accumulated deficit | | | (466,697 | ) |
Total stockholders’ deficit | | | (2,541,067 | ) |
| | | | |
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT | | $ | 109,043,241 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
G3 VRM Acquisition Corp.
Statement of Operations
For Period From February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021
| | Period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) Through December 31, 2021 | |
| | | |
Expenses: | | | | |
Formation and offering costs | | $ | 470,258 | |
Loss from operations | | | (470,258 | ) |
| | | | |
Other income | | | | |
Interest income | | | 3,561 | |
Total other income | | | 3,561 | |
| | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (466,697 | ) |
| | | | |
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock – basic and diluted | | | 6,386,341 | |
Net loss per common share – basic and diluted | | $ | (0.05 | ) |
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock – basic and diluted | | | 2,504,700 | |
Net loss per common share – basic and diluted | | $ | (0.05 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
G3 VRM Acquisition Corp.
Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit
For the Period From February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021
| | Common Stock | | | Additional | | | | | | Total | |
| | Class A | | | Class B | | | paid-in | | | Accumulated | | | Stockholders’ | |
| | Shares | | | Amount | | | Shares | | | Amount | | | capital | | | deficit | | | deficit | |
Balance – February 19, 2021 (date of inception) | | | 0- | | | $ | 0- | | | | 0- | | | $ | 0- | | | $ | 0- | | | $ | 0- | | | $ | 0- | |
Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsors | | | - | | | | - | | | | 2,875,000 | | | | 288 | | | | 24,712 | | | | - | | | | 25,000 | |
Issuance of common stock from Initial Public Offering | | | 10,626,000 | | | | 1,062 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 106,258,938 | | | | - | | | | 106,260,000 | |
Issuance of representative shares | | | 106,260 | | | | 11 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (11 | ) | | | - | | | | - | |
Issuance of private placement units | | | 569,410 | | | | 57 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 5,694,043 | | | | - | | | | 5,694,100 | |
Initial Public Offering costs | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (6,199,570 | ) | | | - | | | | (6,199,570 | ) |
Forfeiture of Class B common stock by Sponsor | | | - | | | | - | | | | (218,500 | ) | | | (22 | ) | | | 22 | | | | - | | | | - | |
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | | | (10,626,000 | ) | | | (1,062 | ) | | | - | | | | - | | | | (107,852,838 | ) | | | - | | | | (107,853,900 | ) |
Net loss | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (466,697 | ) | | | (466,697 | ) |
Balance at December 31, 2021 | | | 675,670 | | | $ | 68 | | | | 2,656,500 | | | $ | 266 | | | $ | (2,074,704 | ) | | $ | (466,697 | ) | | $ | (2,541,067 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
G3 VRM Acquisition Corp.
Statement of Cash Flows
For the Period From February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021
| | Period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) Through December 31, 2021 | |
| | | |
Cash flow from operating activities: | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (466,697 | ) |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | | | | |
Prepaid expenses | | | (259,246 | ) |
Accounts payable | | | 11,308 | |
Net cash used in operating activities | | | (714,635 | ) |
| | | | |
Cash flow from investing activities: | | | | |
Marketable securities held in trust | | | (107,857,461 | ) |
Net cash used in investing activities | | | (107,857,461 | ) |
| | | | |
Cash flow from financing activities: | | | | |
Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor | | | 25,000 | |
Advances from Sponsor | | | 600 | |
Repayment of advances from Sponsor | | | (268,309 | ) |
Proceeds from initial public offering, net of underwriter's fees | | | 106,260,000 | |
Proceeds from private placement offering | | | 5,694,100 | |
Payment of offering costs | | | (2,217,589 | ) |
Net cash provided by financing activities | | | 109,493,802 | |
| | | | |
Net change in cash | | | 921,706 | |
Cash at beginning of period | | | 0- | |
Cash at end of period | | $ | 921,706 | |
| | | | |
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: | | | | |
Cash paid for interest | | $ | 0- | |
Cash paid for income taxes | | $ | 0- | |
| | | | |
Non-cash transactions | | | | |
Deferred underwriting fee payable | | $ | 3,719,100 | |
Value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | | $ | 107,853,900 | |
Deferred offering costs and prepaid expenses included in Related Party Payable | | $ | 267,709 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
G3 VRM ACQUISITION CORP.
Notes to Financial Statements
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Organization and General:
G3 VRM Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company will focus initially on transactions with companies and/or assets within the technology industry, specifically within software, technology-enabled and business services sector, and related sectors. However, the Company is not limited to the technology industry, or these sectors therein, and the Company may pursue a Business Combination opportunity in any business or industry it chooses, and it may pursue a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States.
Financing
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any revenue-generating operations. All activities through December 31, 2021 relate to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”) of units at $10.00 per unit (each, a “Unit” and collectively, the “Units”) described below, and, since the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of the Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.
The registration statement for the Company’s IPO (as described in Note 3) was declared effective on June 30, 2021. On July 6, 2021 the Company consummated the IPO consisting of 10,626,000 Units, including 626,000 Units pursuant to the partial exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option described below. Simultaneously with the IPO, the Company completed the sale of 569,410 units (the “Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement to G3 VRM Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the Company’s sponsor (the “Sponsor”) and Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”) and their designees, that closed simultaneously with the Initial Public Offering. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock upon consummation of our initial Business Combination. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be generally applied toward consummating the Business Combination. Of the Class A common stock sold, 10,626,000 shares are subject to redemption at $10.15 per share. On July 6, 2021, the Company issued Maxim, as representative of the underwriters in the IPO, and/or its designees, 106,260 shares of Series A common stock. The Company estimated the fair value of the stock to be $1,000 based on the price of the Founder Shares issued to the Sponsor. The stock was treated as underwriters’ compensation and charged directly to stockholders’ equity.
Trust Account
Offering will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to the Company to pay its franchise and income tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Units will not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest of: (a) the completion of the Business Combination; (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s certificate of incorporation; and (c) the redemption of the Company’s public shares if the Company is unable to complete the Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 or 18 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, as described in more detail in this filing), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of the Company’s public stockholders.
Business Combination
The Company’s Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (as defined above) (net of taxes payable) at the time of the signing an agreement to enter into the Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete the Business Combination if the post-Business Combination 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 (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect the Business Combination.
The Company will provide its public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the Business Combination either: (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination; or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The stockholders will be entitled to redeem their shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then on deposit in the Trust Account (initially approximately $10.15 per share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations).
The shares of common stock subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with the Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of the Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.
The Company will have 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 or 18 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, as described in more detail in this filing) to consummate the Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if the Company is unable to complete the Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the Trust Account, 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 the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described in this registration statement of which this filing forms a part, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate.
The Sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed: (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of the Business Combination; (ii) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation; and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their founder shares if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has 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) $10.15 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 $10.15 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 the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, the Company has not asked its Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has the Company independently verified whether its Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot assure that its Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had cash outside the Trust Account of $921,706 available for its working capital needs. All remaining cash and securities were held in the Trust Account and is generally unavailable for the Company’s use prior to an initial Business Combination and is restricted for use either in a Business Combination or to redeem Class A shares. As of December 31, 2021, none of the amount on deposit in the Trust Account was available to be withdrawn as described above.
Prior to the completion of the IPO, the Company’s liquidity needs had been satisfied through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of Founder Shares (see Note 5), advances from the Sponsor in an aggregate amount of $268,309 under an unsecured promissory note, which were repaid upon the IPO (see Note 5). Subsequent to the consummation of the IPO and Private Placement, the Company’s liquidity needs have been satisfied through the net proceeds from the IPO and Private Placement held outside of the Trust Account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Company’s Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, provide the Company Working Capital Loans, as defined below (see Note 5). To date, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loans.
Based on the foregoing, management believes that the Company will have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity to meet its needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from the issuance date of these financial statements. Over this time period, the Company will be using these funds for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is 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”), and it 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 attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
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 election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has 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, the Company, 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 the Company’s 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.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021.
Marketable Securities Held in the Trust Account
As of December 31, 2021, the $107,857,461 held in the Trust Account were money market funds that invest in cash, U.S. Treasury bills, notes, and other obligations issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Treasury (See Note 6).
Class A Common Stock Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its Class A common stock ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s public shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2021, a total of 10,626,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value of $10.15 per share as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period with a corresponding offset to accumulated deficit.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Income Taxes
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740 “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal, state and city taxing authorities in the areas of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with federal, state and city tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. The Company’s provision for income taxes for the period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021 was determined to be de minimus.
Net Loss Per Common Share
Net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common stock shares outstanding for the period. The Company’s statements of operations includes a presentation of income (loss) per share for common stock shares subject to possible redemption in a manner similar to the two-class method of income (loss) per share. Net loss per common share, basic and diluted, for redeemable Class A common stock is calculated by dividing the net loss allocable to Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, by the weighted average number of redeemable Class A common stock outstanding since original issuance. Net loss per common stock, basic and diluted, for non-redeemable Class A and Class B common stock is calculated by dividing net loss allocable to non-redeemable common stock, by the weighted average number of shares of non-redeemable common stock outstanding for the periods. Shares of non-redeemable Class B common stock include the founder shares as these common shares do not have any redemption features and do not participate in the income earned on the Trust Account.
| | For The Period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) Through December 31, 2021 | |
Class A common stock | | | | |
Numerator: net loss allocable to non-redeemable Class A common shares | | $ | (334,220 | ) |
Denominator: weighted average number of Class A common shares | | | 6,386,341 | |
Basic and diluted net income per Class A common share | | $ | (0.05 | ) |
| | | | |
Class B common shares | | | | |
Numerator: net loss allocable to non-redeemable Class B common stock | | $ | (132,477 | ) |
Denominator: weighted average number of non-redeemable Class B common shares | | | 2,504,700 | |
Basic and diluted net loss per non-redeemable Class B common shares | | $ | (0.05 | ) |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
On July 6, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 10,626,000 Units, including 626,000 Units pursuant to the partial exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option described below. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one right (“Right”) to receive one-tenth (1/10) of a share of Class A common stock upon the consummation of an initial Business Combination. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $106,260,000. The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, the unexercised portion of the over-allotment option expired. As of July 6, 2021, a total of $107,853,900 of the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement were deposited in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public shareholders. The Company incurred a total of $6,199,570 of offering costs, including $3,719,100 of deferred underwriting payable, $2,217,589 paid by the Company including underwriter fees, and $262,881 of offering costs paid by the Sponsor on the Company’s behalf and reimbursed by the Company following the IPO.
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneous with the closing of the Initial Public Offering on July 6, 2021, the Sponsor and Maxim and their designees purchased an aggregate of 569,410 units, of which Maxim and/or its designees have purchased 53,130 private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,694,100. The Private Placement Units are identical to the units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities), so long as they are held by the Sponsor, Maxim or their permitted transferees: (i) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned, or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination; and (ii) will be entitled to registration rights.
The Company’s Sponsor has agreed: (i) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of the Business Combination; (ii) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation: (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its public shares if the Company does not complete its Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 or 18 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, as described in more detail in this filing); or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (iii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to its founder shares if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 or 18 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this filing). In addition, the Company’s Sponsor has agreed to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of the Business Combination.
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Related Party Payables
On April 12, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Initial Public Offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Through July 6, 2021, the Company had drawn down an aggregate of $268,309 of the funds available to it under the promissory note with the Sponsor, with $600 of cash transferred to the Company, and $267,709 being expenses paid on behalf of the Company by the Sponsor. The outstanding balance under the promissory note was repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on July 6, 2021 out of the offering proceeds not held in the Trust Account, and the promissory note was terminated.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required ("Working Capital Loans"). Such Working Capital Loans would be convertible into private placement-equivalent units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 150,000 units if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. As of December 31, 2021, there were no Working Capital Loans outstanding.
Related Party Extension Loans
The Company will have until 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering to consummate a Business Combination. However, if the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 12 months, the Company will, by resolution of the Company’s board of directors, extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of 18 months to complete a Business Combination) if such extension is requested by the Sponsor. Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of the Initial Public Offering, in order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate a Business Combination for an additional three months, the Sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $1,000,000, or up to $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the deadline. The Company will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months). Each such payment would be made in the form of a loan. Such loan will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of the Company’s Business Combination. If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay such loaned amount out of the proceeds of the trust account released to the Company. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, the Company will not repay such loan. Furthermore, the letter agreement with the Company’s initial stockholders contains a provision pursuant to which the Sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loan out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that the Company does not complete a Business Combination. The Sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for the Company to complete a Business Combination, but the Sponsor is not obligated to extend such time.
Founder Shares
On March 9, 2021, the Company issued 2,875,000 shares of common stock to the Sponsor for $25,000 in cash, or approximately $0.0087 per share, in connection with formation, and later transferred a total of 210,000 founder shares to our officers and directors leaving our Sponsor with 2,665,000 founder shares. On August 14, 2021, the Sponsor forfeited, and the Company cancelled, an aggregated of 218,500 founder shares upon expiration of the unexercised portion of the over-allotment option.
The holders of the founder shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell the founder shares until the earlier of: (i) one year after the date of the consummation of the Business Combination; or (ii) the date on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities, or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations, and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 60 days after the Business Combination, the founder shares will no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions.
Administrative Service Fee
Upon closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company commenced paying the Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of the Company’s management team. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. During the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, the Company paid a total of $60,000 under this arrangement.
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND REGISTRATION RIGHTS
The holders of the founder shares, Private Placement Units, units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including in each case the underlying securities) and the representative shares will have registration rights to require the Company to register a sale of any of its securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company registers such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by the Company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the underwriters may not exercise their demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after the effective date of the Initial Public Offering and may not exercise their demand rights on more than one occasion.
Underwriters Agreement
The underwriters had a 45-day option from the date of the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any. The option was exercised with respect to 626,000 units at the time of the closing of the IPO, and the remaining unexercised portion expired.
The underwriters were paid an underwriting discount of $0.19 per Unit, or $2,018,940 in the aggregate upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. An additional fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $3,719,100 in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
The Company issued Maxim, as representative of the underwriters in the IPO, and/or its designees, 106,260 shares of Series A common stock. The stock was treated as underwriters’ compensation and charged directly to stockholders’ equity.
Right of First Refusal
Subject to certain conditions, the Company granted Maxim, for a period beginning on the closing of the Initial Public Offering and ending 12 months after the date of the consummation of the Business Combination, a right of first refusal to act as book-running managing underwriter or placement agent for any and all future public and private equity, equity-linked, convertible and debt offerings for the Company or any of its successors or subsidiaries. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(6), such right of first refusal shall not have a duration of more than three years from the effective date of the registration statement for the Initial Public Offering.
Representative Shares
On July 6, 2021, the Company issued Maxim and/or its designees, 106,260 shares of Series A common stock. The Company estimated the fair value of the stock to be $1,000 based on the price of the Founder Shares issued to the Sponsor. The stock was treated as underwriters’ compensation and charged directly to stockholders’ equity.
Maxim has agreed not to transfer, assign, or sell any such shares until the completion of the Business Combination. In addition, Maxim has agreed: (i) to waive its redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of the Business Combination; and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 or 18 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, as described in more detail in the prospectus for the Initial Public Offering).
The shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement with respect to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the Company’s registration statement, nor may they be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the Company’s initial registration statement except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners.
NOTE 7 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue a total of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock at par value of $0.0001 each. At December 31, 2021, there were 0 shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue a total of 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock at par value of $0.0001 each. At December 31, 2021, there were 11,301,670 total shares of Class A outstanding, of which 10,626,000 were subject to possible redemption. In accordance with FASB ASC 480-10, the Class A shares subject to possible redemption are accounted for as mezzanine equity at a redemption value of $10.15 per share.
Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue a total of 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock at par value of $0.0001 each. At March 9, 2021, the Company issued 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock to its initial stockholder, the Sponsor, for $25,000, or approximately $0.0087 per share in connection with formation, and later transferred a total of 210,000 founder shares to our officers and directors leaving our Sponsor with 2,665,000 founder shares. On August 14, 2021, the Sponsor forfeited, and the Company cancelled, an aggregated of 218,500 founder shares upon expiration of the unexercised portion of the over-allotment option. At December 31, 2021, there were 2,656,500 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.
The Company’s initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign, or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier of: (i) one year after the date of the consummation of the Business Combination; or (ii) the date on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities, or other property. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations, and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 60 days after the Business Combination, the founder shares will no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the Company’s initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of the Company’s Class A common stock at the time of its Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations, and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the Company’s registration statement and related to the closing of the Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering (excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the Business Combination or any private placement-equivalent units issued to the Sponsor, its affiliates, or certain of officers and directors upon conversion of working capital loans made to the Company).
Holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholders, with each share of common stock entitling the holder to one vote.
Rights — Each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination, except in cases where we are not the surviving company in a Business Combination, and even if the holder of such right redeemed all shares of Class A common stock held by it in connection with a Business Combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of Public Rights in order to receive its additional shares upon consummation of a Business Combination, as the consideration related thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by investors in the Initial Public Offering. If the Company enters into a definitive agreement for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of Public Rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of shares of Class A common stock will receive in the transaction on an as-exchanged for Class A common stock basis, and each holder of a Public Right will be required to affirmatively exchange its Public Rights in order to receive the 1/10 share underlying each Public Right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of a Business Combination. More specifically, the Public Rights holder will be required to indicate its election to exchange the Public Right for the underlying shares within a fixed period of time after which period the rights will expire worthless.
Pursuant to the rights agreement, a rights holder may exchange rights only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that the Company will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights and rights may be exchanged only in multiples of 10 rights (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Public Rights will not receive any such funds with respect to their Public Rights, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such Public Rights, and the Public Rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to holders of the Public Rights upon consummation of a Business Combination. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
NOTE 8 — FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The Company follows the guidance in ASC 820 for its financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at each reporting period, and non-financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at least annually.
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
The following table presents information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:
Description | | Level | | December 31, 2021 |
Assets: | | | | | |
Marketable securities held in Trust Account | | 1 | | $ | 107,857,461 |
NOTE 9 — INCOME TAXES
The Company’s net deferred tax assets are as follows:
| | As of December 31, 2021 | |
Deferred tax asset | | | |
Net operating loss carryforward | | $ | 98,000 | |
Valuation allowance | | | (98,000 | ) |
Deferred tax asset, net of allowance | | $ | 0— | |
The income tax provision consists of the following:
| | Period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021 | |
Federal | | | |
Current | | $ | 0— | |
Deferred | | | 0— | |
State | | | | |
Current | | $ | 0— | |
Deferred | | | 0— | |
Change in valuation allowance | | | 0— | |
Income tax provision | | $ | 0— | |
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had a U.S. federal net operating loss carryover of approximately $98,000 available to offset future taxable income.
In assessing the realization of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. For the period from February 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, the change in the valuation allowance was $98,000.
A reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate is as follows:
| | Period from February 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021 | |
| | | |
Statutory federal income tax rate | | | 21.0 | % |
Change in valuation allowance | | | (21.0 | )% |
Income tax provision | | | 0.0 | % |
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction in various state and local jurisdictions and is subject to examination by the various taxing authorities.
NOTE 10 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company performed a review of events subsequent to the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements were issued and determined that there were no such events requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.