As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 17, 2021
Registration No. 333-258053
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Jade Value Acquisition Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Cayman Islands | | 6770 | | N/A |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
Floor 18, Lianluo Plaza, Wangjing Street #10,
Chaoyang district, Beijing, China
+86 13911535799
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
Yang (Shayla) Sun
48 Bridge Street, Building A
Metuchen, NJ 08840
248-835-0508
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
Arila E. Zhou, Esq. Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC 800 Third Avenue, Suite 2800 New York, NY 10022 Tel: (212) 530-2232 | Michael J. Blankenship James R. Brown Winston & Strawn LLP 800 Capitol Street, Suite 2400 Houston, Texas 77002 Tel: (713) 651-2600 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ | | Accelerated filer ☐ | | Non-accelerated filer ☒ | | 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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Security Being Registered | | Amount Being Registered | | | Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Security(1) | | | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1) | | | Amount of Registration Fee(5) | |
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value per share, one-half of one redeemable warrant and one right to receive one-tenth of one Class A ordinary share (2) | | | 8,625,000 | | | | 10.00 | | | $ | 86,250,000 | | | $ | 8,749.78 | (5) |
Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(2) (3) | | | 8,625,000 | | | | 10.00 | | | | - | | | | | (4) |
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(2) (3) | | | 4,312,500 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | | (4) |
Rights included as part of units(2) (3) | | | 8,625,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | | (4) |
Class A ordinary shares underlying rights(2) | | | 862,500 | | | | 10.00 | | | $ | 8,625,000 | | | $ | 874.98 | (6) |
Total | | | | | | | | | | $ | 94,875,000 | | | $ | 9,624.76 | (7) |
| (1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act. |
| (2) | Include (i) 8,625,000 units including 7,500,000 units to be issued in the offering and up to 1,125,000 units which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, one half of one whole redeemable warrants and one right to receive one-tenth of one Class A ordinary share upon the closing of a business combination, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any; (ii) class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights included as part of 8,625,000 units; and (iii) 862,500 class A ordinary shares underlying the rights included in such units. |
| (3) | Pursuant to Rule 416(a), there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
| (4) | No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act. |
| (5) | The Registrant’s initial filing of this Registration Statement on July 20, 2021 (the “Original Form S-1”) registered 4,600,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the Units for an aggregate offering price of $46,000,000. The current filing increases the number of such Class A ordinary shares being registered to 8,625,000, for an aggregate offering price of $86,250,000. The Registrant is paying additional registration fee based on the current registration fee rate on the additional $40,250,000 aggregate offering amount being registered. |
| (6) | The Registrant’s initial filing of the Original Form S-1 registered 460,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the Rights included in the Units for an aggregate offering price of $4,600,000. The current filing increases the number of such Class A ordinary shares being registered to 862,500, for an aggregate offering price of $8,625,000. The Registrant is paying additional registration fee based on the current registration fee rate on the additional $4,025,000 aggregate offering amount being registered. |
| (7) | $5,520.46 of registration fee was previously paid, at the time of the filing of the Original Form S-1, based on the registration fee rate then in effect at the time of that filing. An additional $4,104.30 of registration fee is being paid currently, based on the current registration fee rate, to cover the additional 4,427,500 aggregate offering amount being registered, as described in footnote (5) and (6). |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Preliminary Prospectus | | Subject to Completion, dated NOVEMBER 17, 2021 |
$75,000,000
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
7,500,000 Units
Jade Value Acquisition Corporation is a newly organized blank check company as a Cayman Islands exempted company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination or our business combination. While our efforts to identify a target business for such initial business combination may span many industries and regions worldwide, we intend to focus our search for a target business on companies within internet and technology sectors, including but not limited to, blockchain infrastructure and software services. We have not selected any 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 are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. We explicitly exclude any target company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one redeemable warrant and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination, as described in more details in this prospectus. We will not issue fractional shares. As a result, you must exercise warrants in multiples of one whole warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants once the warrants become exercisable. We will not issue fractional shares, as a result, you must (1) exercise whole warrants at a price of $11.50 per full share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, to validly exercise your warrants; and (2) hold rights in multiples of 10 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,125,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for working capital purposes or to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares throughout this prospectus, subject to the limitations described herein. If we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if we extend the time that we need to complete a business combination), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay for taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination twice by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Wilmington Trust, National Association on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $750,000, or $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,500,000 or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. The sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private shares at a price of $10.00 per share. Our public shareholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions.
Our sponsor, Jade Value Holdings Limited (which we refer to as our sponsor throughout this prospectus) has committed to purchase an aggregate of 320,000 private shares (or 342,500 private shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per share (approximately $3,200,000 in the aggregate, or $3,425,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these units as the “private shares” throughout this prospectus. Private shares are identical to Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering subject to certain exceptions.
Though we currently do not have any PRC subsidiaries or China operation and we expect our management to travel within or outside China during the search of target companies as needed, as majority of our management are based in China, we are subject to legal and operational risks associated with being based in China, see “Risk Factor— If we effect our initial business combination with a business located in the PRC, we may be subject to certain risks associated with acquiring and operating businesses in the PRC.”
We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Because our management team, primarily based in China, has connections in China and our principal office and sponsor are located in China, we may pursue a business combination with a company doing business in China, which may have legal and operational risks associated with it. As of the date of this prospectus, we are not required to receive any permission nor received any objection from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges, however, our management and sponsor as well as us may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic, social conditions and government policies in China generally, there is no guarantee that we or our management, or sponsor will be denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges in the future. The governing People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) laws and regulations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, the vagueness and uncertainties may result in a material change in the post-combination company and cause the value of our shares to significantly decline or be worthless, or substantially limit or completely hinder the post business combination’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors if we complete our business combination with a target in China. For instance, a VIE structure is often used to replicate foreign investment in Chinese-based companies where Chinese law prohibits direct foreign investment in operating companies in certain sectors or other matters, such as telecommunications and the internet. Under a VIE structure, a public holding company will have no material operations of its own but able to consolidate the financial results of an operating entity in China, or a VIE, through a series of contractual agreements, or “VIE Agreements,” under U.S. GAAP as primary beneficiary Such China-based operating company is known as variable interest entity, or “VIE.” Under such structure, a public holding company will own equity interest of a wholly foreign owned entity, or a “WFOE”, registered in China, and the WFOE will enter into VIE Agreements with a VIE in order to consolidate the finical results of such VIE. In the event that we acquire or merge with a company that consolidates the financial result of a VIE in China through a WFOE and does not have material operation through direct holding, such transaction will result in us becoming solely a holding company and our investors may never directly hold equity interests in the VIE. A VIE structure is subject to risks due to uncertainty of the interpretation and the application of the PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to limitation on foreign investment in certain industries in China, and regulatory review of overseas listing of PRC companies through a special purpose vehicle, and the validity and enforcement of the VIE Agreements. The post-combination entity will be also subject to the risks of uncertainty about any future actions of the PRC government in this regard. The VIE Agreements may not be effective in providing control over the VIE, and investors may never hold equity interests in a VIE. The post-combination entity, or its WFOE may also be subject to sanctions imposed by PRC regulatory agencies, including Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC, if we fail to comply with their rules and regulations. If the Chinese regulatory authorities could disallow the VIE structure in the future, which could reduce the number of prospective target PRC operating entities available to us, or a material change in the post-combined company’s operations could cause the value of our shares after we complete a business combination to significantly decline or be worthless. See “Risk Factors—We may initiate a business combination with a company with operations in China by entering into VIE Agreements. If PRC governments or courts find that the VIE Agreements do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations or we could be unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the post-combination target company, which could cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares depreciate significantly or become worthless.”
Additionally, if we consummate our initial business combination with a target with principal operations in China, we may be subject to certain legal and operational risks associated with its operations in China. Chinese laws and regulations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these risks may result in a material change in its principal operations in China, significantly depreciation of the value of the post-combination entity’s securities, or a complete hindrance of the post-combination entity’s ability to offer its securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using a VIE structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. Moreover, if the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revised Draft for Comment), which was released in July 2021, takes effect in the future as it is currently drafted, companies operating critical information infrastructure or with more than one million users’ personal information in China, especially some internet and technology companies, may be obliged to apply to the Cybersecurity Review Office for a cybersecurity review before they can list overseas, and accordingly they may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. If the PRC government initiates an investigation into us or post-combination entity at any time alleging us violation of cybersecurity laws, anti-monopoly laws, and securities offering rules in China in connection with this offering or future business combination, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional delays to comply with the applicable rules, and our business operations will be affected materially and any such action could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless. Since these statements and regulatory actions are new or have not been officially implemented, it is highly uncertain how soon Chinese legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws, regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our capability to acquire or merge with a company with major operations in China, as well as the post-combination entity’s ability to conduct its business, accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. stock exchange. See “Risk Factors - Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” beginning on page 60 for further discussion.
Our initial shareholders, including our sponsor, our officers and directors, and/or their designees, collectively own 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares (up to 281,250 shares are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). Our memorandum and articles of association, or our current charter, does not restrict the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares prior to the closing of the offering, however, our sponsor as the sole holder of Class B ordinary shares prior to the effectives of this prospectus, has committed not to convert any Class B ordinary shares. We will adopt the first amended and restatement memorandum and articles of association, or our IPO charter, immediately prior to or upon the effectiveness of this prospectus, pursuant to which, Class B ordinary share will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, on one-for-one basis (subject to adjustments for share dividend, share split, recapitalization, reorganization and the like). We refer to our initial shareholders as our “founders” and these Class B ordinary shares and/or underlying Class A ordinary shares upon conversion as the “founder shares” throughout this prospectus. Holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as required by law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, provided that prior to the closing of the initial business combination, the holders of Class B ordinary shares shall have the exclusive right to elect and remove any director.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights. We have applied or will apply to list our units on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “JVACU” on or promptly after the effective date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. The Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless US Tiger Securities, Inc. (“US Tiger”) and EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC (“EF Hutton”, and collectively with US Tiger, the “representatives”) inform us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “JVAC,” “JVACW” and “JVACR” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 31 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| | Per Unit | | | Total | |
Public offering price | | $ | 10.00 | | | $ | 75,000,000 | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | | $ | 0.55 | | | $ | 4,125,000 | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to Jade Value Acquisition Corporation | | $ | 9.45 | | | $ | 79,875,000 | |
| (1) | Includes $0.35 per unit, or $2,625,000 (or up to $3,018,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” for a description of compensation payable to the underwriters. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private shares described in this prospectus, $75,000,000 or $86,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit) will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Wilmington Trust, National Association, acting as trustee, and $2,550,000, or $2,775,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering including underwriting commissions and $650,000 will be available for working capital following this offering. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us for working capital purposes or to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares that are deposited in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if we extend the time that we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if we extend the time that we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2021.
Lead Book-Running Manager | | Joint Book-Running Manager |
| | |
Tiger Brokers | | EF Hutton |
| | division of Benchmark Investments, LLC |
, 2021
Until , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| ● | “company” or “our company” “we,” “us,” “are to Jade Value Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company; |
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| ● | “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time; |
| ● | “equity-linked securities” are to any securities of our company which are convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, ordinary shares of our company, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. |
| ● | “founder shares” are to Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our founders in the aggregated price of $25,000 in a private placement prior to this offering, and our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein; |
| ● | “founders “or “initial shareholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to this offering and holders of our private shares upon the consummation of this offering which include our sponsor, officers and directors, and/or their designees; |
| ● | “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors; |
| ● | “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares; |
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| ● | “private shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares to be issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any; |
| ● | “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| ● | “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders and management team to the extent our initial shareholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial shareholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public shareholders” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
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| ● | “rights” are to rights sold as part of the units in this offering, each to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share upon the consummation of an initial business combination; |
| ● | “sponsor” is to Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company; |
| ● | “warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
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| ● | “working capital shares” are to Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, at $10.00 per share, upon the consummation of the business combination; and |
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| ● | “units” are to units sold in this offering, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one warrant and one right. |
Registered trademarks referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.
Any forfeiture of shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividends described in this prospectus will take effect as a share capitalization as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
PROPOSED BUSINESS
Our Company
We are a newly incorporated blank check company formed as a Cayman Islands exempted company 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 throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. While our efforts to identify a target business for such initial business combination may span many industries and regions worldwide, we intend to focus our search for a target business on companies within internet and technology sectors, including but not limited to, blockchain infrastructure and software services. We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. We have not selected any potential business combination target or initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination prospects. While we intend to undertake a search process, our ability to locate a potential target is subject to the uncertainties discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.
Our Sponsor and Management
Our sponsor is Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, managed by certain members of our management.
Our management include our executive officers and directors. We believe that with their experience in operating public and private entities and skillsets in sourcing, investing, and value-enhancement, we are well positioned in pursuing opportunities that will offer risk-adjusted returns.
Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin has served as our Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the board after the inception of the Company. Mr. Lin has been the Chairman of Beijing Huitu Technology Co., Ltd., which develops and sells water resources application software and products since December 2013. From August 2020 to May 2021, Mr. Lin served as the chairman and CEO of Lianluo Smart Ltd, Inc. (Nasdaq: LLIT), a company engaged in the medical device business. During his term at LLIT, Mr. Lin led the merger of the company with Newegg Inc., in May 2021 resulting a US$4 billion company post-merger (Nasdaq: NEGG). From January 2006 to March 2013, Mr. Lin was the Chief Executive Officer of China Fire & Security Group, Inc. (Formerly Nasdaq: CFSG), which engaged in design, development, manufacture and sale of a variety of fire safety products for the industrial and special purpose infrastructure industries and the design and installation of industrial fire safety systems. From January 2000 to December 2005, he was the general manager of Beijing Linkhead Technology Co., Ltd., which engaged in design and sales of telecommunications products. Mr. Lin started his career with Nortel Networks Corporation in Canada in 1989 and held various technical and management positions in Nortel Canada, Motoral, and Compaq Computer in the U.S. from 1989 through 2000. Mr. Lin received a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Toronto in 1989 and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Ms. Yang (Shayla) Sun has served as our President and director after the inception of the Company. Since June 2018, Ms. Sun has served as the co-founder and managing director of First Winners Financial Services, a Hong Kong based financial advisory firm focusing on equity market. From September 2015 to May 2018, Ms. Sun served as the venture partner of Galaxy Internet Company Limited, a technology startups incubator and investment firm. From July 2011 to July 2015, Ms. Sun was the vice president of Wowo Limited (Nasdaq: WOWO), changing name to Mercurity Fintech Holding (Nasdaq: MFH), a Chinese based mobile and e-commerce platform that focuses on establishing online stores and back office integration for local service industry, and she continued to serve as a director of Wowo Limited from June 2017 to November 2018. From October 2009 to July 2011, Ms. Sun was also the manager of the U.S. equity team in Changyou.com Limited (Formerly Nasdaq: CYOU), a leading online game developer and operator in China which recently completed a merger with Sohu.com (Game) Limited, a subsidiary of Sohu.com Limited (Nasdaq: SOHU). Ms. Sun started her career as an analyst in DC Capital Management, an investment banking firm in Hong Kong in July 2006. Ms. Sun holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Linguistics and Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University and is currently enrolled in the EMBA program in China Europe International Business School.
Mr. Zhiyong (Ben) Li is our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Li has been the Chief Executive Officer of Hadoop Data Limited since May 2021. From June 2019 to May 2021, Mr. Li served as the Chief Financial Officer of BlueCity Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: BLCT), an LGBTQ focused Internet technology company dedicated to providing comprehensive services to diverse users around the world. From June 2007 to June 2019, Mr. Li worked at GDS Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: GDS), a data company providing solutions with large scale data center, where he started as a financial analyst and was promoted as a Vice President in finance department in 2014. From September 2005 to June 2007, Mr. Li was an associate in PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Li holds a Bachelor’s degree in National Economics Management from Renmin University of China.
Mr. Hongfei Tian will serve as an independent director upon the effectiveness of this prospectus. Since February 2016, Mr. Tian has been the founding partner of iVision Ventures Limited, an AI focused venture firm investing in autonomous driving, service robots, STEM robots, fintech and enterprise big data analytics software companies. Mr. Tian founded PAYYARD PTE. LTD, a bitcoin wallet company in Singapore in 2014 and served as the Chief Executive Officer from July 2014 to December 2015. In December 2009, Mr. Tian founded Beijing Looa Technology Ltd. Co., a social commerce SaaS software company, and served as served as the Chief Executive Officer from June 2014 to December 2019. Before that, he worked as a software engineer at Oracle Corporation from December 2003 to May 2009. Mr. Tian hold a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Henan University.
Mr. Jian Liu will serve as an independent director upon the effectiveness of this prospectus. Mr. Liu has served as the executive director since January 2008 and the Chief Operating Officer since February 2006 at Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN), a NYSE listing company, operating a used auto business in China and several SaaS businesses in the US. Since October 2018, Mr. Liu has been a director of Kaixin Auto Holdings (Nasdaq: KXIN), a leading premium used auto dealership group in China which consummated a business combination with CM Severn Star Acquisition Corporation, a blank check company in April 2019. Mr. Liu had served as the Chief Executive Officer of Kaixin Auto Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kaxin Auto Holdings acquired from Renren Inc. from September 2014 to October 2018. Since July 2019, Mr. Liu has served as an independent director at Opera Ltd. (Nasdaq: OPRA), a leading global provider of a range of products and services including PC and mobile browsers, AI-powered content platform Opera News and other solutions and products. Prior to that, in September 2003, he founded UUMe.com (which was later acquired by RenRen in May 2005), one of the earliest social networking service websites in China. Previously, from February 2002 to August 2003, Mr. Liu served as the founding product management director at Fortinet, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTNT), a Nasdaq listed network security solution provider. From July 2000 to January 2002, he served as a product manager at Siebel Systems Inc., a U.S. software company. Mr. Liu started his career as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group in China from September 1995 to August 1998. Mr. Liu holds an MBA degree from Stanford University as an Arjay Miller Scholar in 2020 and Bachelor’s degrees in computer Science and Economics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1995.
Dr. Xiaolin Zhong will serve as an independent director upon the effectiveness of this prospectus. Dr. Zhong has more than 20 years’ experience in venture capital investment and private equity. Since March 2016, Dr. Zhong has served as the Chairman of Shenzhen Turing Capital Management Co. Ltd. and the founding partner of Shenzhen Turing Venture Capital LLP, a company focusing on early stage venture investment. From January 2014 to March 2016, Dr. Zhong served as a president and managing partner at Xing Capital Management Co. Ltd & Xing Capital LLP, focusing on private equity investment. From May 2005 to April 2017, Dr. Zhong was a managing director & general partner of TDF Capital LLP, a venture capital fund focusing on early to growth venture opportunities in China. From May 2007 to January 2011, he was a founding and managing partner of KPCB (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers) China Fund.
Dr. Zhong received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in engineering from Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST) in China in 1986 and 1989, respectively. Dr. Zhong received his PhD in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh Napier University, UK in 1996, and an MBA degree from The Ivey School of Business (Western) at the Western University in 2003. Mr. Zhong attended and completed the Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University in 2010.
Our board of directors and management team’s goal is to drive post-acquisition shareholder value and generate benefits and opportunities for our internal stakeholders. Furthermore, we believe by increasing shareholder and internal stakeholder values, we can generate add-on values to the communities that we reside in or where our business operates in.
Business Strategy and Acquisition Criteria
Our strategy will be to identify, acquire, and initiate business combination with the mindset and goal to build and grow companies from various industries. We will seek potential targets in which we believe can materially grow revenue and earnings through the efforts of a combined management team follow by a completion of initial business combination.
We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive business combination opportunities with a compelling industry backdrop and an opportunity for transformational growth. Our founders’ objectives are to generate attractive returns for shareholders and enhance value through improving operational performance of the acquired company. We expect to favor opportunities with certain industry and business characteristics. Key industry characteristics include compelling long-term growth, attractive competitive dynamics, consolidation opportunities and low risk of technological obsolescence. Key business characteristics include high barriers to entry, significant streams of recurring revenue, opportunity for operational improvement, attractive steady-state margins, high incremental margins and attractive free cash flow characteristics.
In consistent with our business strategies and objectives, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are helpful in evaluating prospective targets companies for acquisition or business combination, which we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we see justification to do so.
| ● | Strong management Team. We will seek to acquire those businesses with reasoned and strong managements having a track record of driving growth and profitability; or having proposition of the businesses that may likely be well received by public investors. |
| ● | Growth Potential. We will be looking for businesses that we believe present the potential for revenue and earnings growth through a combination of business, management and resources. We will also consider businesses with potential to generate stable and increasing free cash flow. We may also seek to prudently leverage this cash flow in order to enhance shareholder value. |
| ● | Companies with Potential for Strong Free Cash Flow Generation. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential to generate strong, stable and increasing free cash flow. We intend to focus on one or more businesses that have predictable revenue streams and definable low working capital and capital expenditure requirements. We may also seek to prudently leverage this cash flow in order to enhance shareholder value. |
| ● | Benefit from being a public company. We intend to only acquire a business or businesses that will benefit from being publicly traded and which can effectively utilize access to broader sources of capital and a public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company. |
This list of criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Our management team will evaluate and value potential target company on a case-by-case basis. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination or acquisition may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination or acquisition with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guideline in our shareholder communications, which as discussed in this prospectus would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination twice by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Wilmington Trust, National Association on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $750,000, or $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,500,000 or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. The sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private shares at a price of $10.00 per share.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period which is 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described above), we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the warrants and rights will be worthless.
Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions payable to our underwriters and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion, nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares released to us from the trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may use the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
In addition, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination to be used following the closing for general corporate purposes as described above. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of 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. None of our founders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) or (y) amend the foregoing provisions, unless (in connection with any such amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) we offer our public shareholders the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Our Acquisition Process
We will utilize the diligence, rigor, and expertise of our managements’ respective platforms to evaluate potential targets’ strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to identify the relative risk and return profile of any potential target for our initial business combination.
We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have not individually selected a target business. Our management team is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities including other special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our management team is continuously made aware of potential investment opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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.
Our officers may become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, even before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus).
Private Placement
On April 16, 2021, our sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 founder shares. On November 8, 2021, we effectuated a capitalization of shares in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so our sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 founder shares at no additional consideration. As a result, our sponsor acquired 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. In addition, our sponsor has committed to transfer an aggregated amount of 60,000 founder shares to our officers, director and/or their designees prior to the consummation of this offering at the original purchase price. These founder shares include an aggregate of up to 281,250 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that founder shares will represent 25% of ordinary shares issued in this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering). None of our founders has indicated any intention to purchase public shares in this offering.
In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase from us up to an aggregate of 320,000 private shares (or up to 342,500 private shares if our underwriters exercise the over-allotment option) at $10.00 per share for a total purchase price of $3,200,000 (or up to $3,425,000 if our underwriters exercise the over-allotment option).
The private shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to limited exceptions. Our founders have agreed (A) to vote their founder shares and private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, prior to and unrelated to an initial business combination, an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our redemption obligation to redeem all public shares if we cannot complete an initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), unless we provide public shareholders an opportunity to redeem their public shares in conjunction with any such amendment, (C) not to redeem any shares, including founder shares and private shares into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a shareholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in any tender offer in connection with our proposed initial business combination, and (D) that the founder shares and private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated.
Our founders have agreed, subject to certain exception, (i) in the case of founder shares, not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or (B) the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of private shares and working capital shares, until 30 days after the consummation our initial business combination (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Shares”). We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.
The proceeds from the private placement of the private shares will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), the proceeds from the sale of the private shares will be included in the liquidating distribution to the holders of our public shares.
Permission Required from the PRC Authorities for this Offering and Potential Business Combination with a Business in China
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. As of the date of this prospectus, we are solely held by our sponsor Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, managed by Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin, the Chief Executive Officer and a Canadian citizen. Upon the consummation of this offering (without over-allotment), our management and sponsor will collectively own 22.64% of equity interest and public shareholders including U.S. investors and foreign investors will collectively own 77.36% of equity interest of us.
As the date of this prospectus, there are no PRC laws and regulations (including the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, or any other government entity) in force explicitly requiring that we obtain permission from PRC authorities for this offering or to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction or any regulatory objection to this offering from any relevant PRC authorities.
We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Because our management team, primarily based China, has network in China and our principal office and sponsor are located in China, we may pursue a business combination with a company doing business in China, which may have legal and operational risks associated with it.
Specifically, the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, (the “M&A Rules”), adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, among other things, purport to require an offshore special purpose vehicle controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals, and formed for purposes of an overseas listing through acquisition of PRC domestic interests held by such PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures regarding its approval mechanism for overseas listings by special purpose vehicles. However, to date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a PRC entity as part of the Business Combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. At this time, a prior approval from the CSRC is not required for the Business Combination because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation on this point. However, uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules could be interpreted or implemented in the future, and the opinion stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law (the “Opinions”), which call for strengthened regulation over illegal securities activities and supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies and propose to take effective measures, such as promoting the development of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies.
While the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear, no official guidance and related implementation rules have been issued in relation to the Opinions, and the interpretation and implementation of the Opinions also remain unclear at this stage, based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the M&A Rules or the Opinions from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company. However, there can be no assurance that the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as us, or that the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities would not promulgate new rules or new interpretation of current rules to require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering or for the business combination if we decide to consummate the business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — The PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China.”
Additionally, the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment) issued by the CAC on July 10, 2021 further restates and expands the applicable scope of relevant cybersecurity review procedures in China. Although the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment) currently exist only in draft form (and are therefore not yet legally binding), if ultimately adopted in their current form, then any operator who applies to list its securities overseas must apply to the Cybersecurity Review Office for a cybersecurity review if it is in possession of the personal information of more than 1,000,000 users. If our PRC-based target business is in possession of the personal information of more than 1,000,000 users, our PRC-based target business would be required to conduct the cybersecurity review. In accordance with the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment), the specific times and numbers of cybersecurity reviews is not specified. If our PRC-based target business is determined by PRC regulatory authorities to have data security risks, the relevant regulatory authority may have the right to stop the indirect listing of our PRC-based target business’s securities through the consummation of the Business Combination, or (should the consummation of the Business Combination already have occurred) even request for withdrawal Pubco’s Nasdaq listing application or delisting of Pubco. In accordance with the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment), the exact manner of intervention is not specified. Per the PRC Data Security Law issued by Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in June 2021, effective as of September 1, 2021, the cybersecurity review decision would be final and we would not have the ability to appeal.
Contractual Arrangements and Corporate Structure for a PRC-based Target Business
If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China utilizing a VIE structure due to restrictions imposed by PRC laws and regulations on foreign investment in certain industries, the combined company may be a company incorporated in jurisdictions other than the PRC, such as the Cayman Islands, and may conduct substantially all of its business operations in the PRC through its PRC subsidiaries and VIEs, while the combined company will not hold any direct equity interests in the VIEs. The combined company’s PRC subsidiaries will control the VIEs through a series of contractual arrangements with the VIEs, as well as their founders and owners. Under such structure, the VIEs may hold key operating licenses, provide services to customers, and enter into contracts with suppliers and employ workforce. These contractual arrangements with the VIEs are put into place as a mechanism for the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries to (i) exercise control over its VIEs, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of the VIEs, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in the VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. These contractual arrangements often include exclusive technology and consulting service agreements, equity interest pledge agreements, exclusive option agreements and powers of attorney. As a result of these contractual arrangements, the combined company will exert control over, and will be considered the primary beneficiary of its VIEs and is able to consolidate such VIEs’ operating results in its financial statements under the U.S. GAAP. Under such corporate structure, the combined company whose securities will be listed on a U.S. stock exchange after the business combination will not hold any direct equity interests in its VIEs. If such structure is utilized by the combined company, the investors of the combined company will not be holding equity interest of the operating business in China. As a result, the control through these contractual arrangements may be less effective than direct ownership, and the combined company could face heightened risks and costs in enforcing these contractual arrangements, because there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations, and rules relating to the legality and enforceability of these contractual arrangements. If the PRC government finds such agreements to be illegal, the PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs of the combined company could be subject to severe penalties or the combined company could be forced to relinquish its interests in the VIEs. Under such circumstances, the value of the combined company’s securities may significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — We may initiate a business combination with a company with operations in China by entering into VIE Agreements. If PRC governments or courts find that the VIE Agreements do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations or we could be unbale to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the post-combination target company, which could cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares depreciate significantly or become worthless.” and “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — If the government of the PRC finds that the agreements we entered into to acquire control of a target business through contractual arrangements with one or more operating businesses do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.”
Implication of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act states that if the SEC determines that an issuer’s audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm have not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit such issuer’s securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, auditors of the combined company and their workpapers may be located in China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities. Therefore, the combined company’s securities may be delisted from a national securities exchange in the U.S pursuant to the HFCA Act.
Furthermore, our securities may be prohibited to trade on a national exchange under the HFCA Act if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our auditor or the auditor of the target company of our initial business combination for three consecutive years beginning in 2021. Our auditor is currently subject to PCAOB inspections, and PCAOB is able to inspect our auditor. In order to minimize or avoid such risk, we will explicitly exclude any target company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021. Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“AHFCAA”), which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCA Act and require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years.
On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
Other developments in U.S. laws and regulatory environment, including but not limited to executive orders such as Executive Order (E.O.) 13959, “Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies,” may further restrict our ability to complete a business combination with certain China-based businesses.
For more detailed information, see “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — Though we explicitly exclude any target whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in China.”
The governing PRC laws and regulations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, the vagueness and uncertainties may result in a material change in the post-business combination company’s operations, cause the value of our shares after we complete our business combination to significantly decline or be worthless, or substantially limit or completely hinder the post-combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. For instance, the PRC government recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using the VIE structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. However, since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon Chinese legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws, regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our capability to acquire or merge with a company with major operations in China, as well as the post-business combination company’s ability to conduct its business, accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. stock exchange, and therefore, it could result in a material change in the target company’s post-combinations operations, significant depreciation of the value of our Class A ordinary shares, or a complete hindrance of our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities to investors.
Risks Associated with Us Being Based in China
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. As of the date of this prospectus, we are solely held by our sponsor Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, managed by Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin, the Chief Executive Officer and a Canadian citizen. Upon the consummation of this offering (without over-allotment), our management and sponsor will collectively own 22.64% of equity interest and public shareholders including U.S. investors and foreign investors will collectively own 77.36% of equity interest of us.
A majority of our management and our headquarter are located in China, we are subject to legal and operational risks associated with being based in China. Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions, as well as possible interventions and influences of any government policies and actions; as well as uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could have a material adverse effect on our operation and the value of our securities. For instance, (i) as the date of prospectus, we are not required to obtain any permission from China authorities nor received any objection or restriction from Chinese authorities to list our securities in U.S. exchanges, however, we cannot guarantee that PRC authorities may initiate any change in its law, rules or regulations, or governmental policies that would require permission or scrutiny from relevant PRC authorities before our listing; or any law, regulation, rules and policies will become effective and enforceable after our listing that could substantially affect our operation and the value of our securities may depreciate quickly even become worthless. See “Summary— Permission Required from the PRC Authorities for this Offering and Potential Business Combination with a Business in China” on page 7; (ii) after consummation of this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, our operation involves searching and identifying suitable targets, conducting due diligence on targets, negotiating and consummating our initial business combination. Though we are not restricted or prohibited from such business activities in China, we are subject to risks and uncertainties about future actions of the PRC government or law enforcement to refrain our activities or operation in China, which would likely result in a material change in our operations, and the value of our securities may depreciate significantly or become worthless. See “Risk Factors—The Chinese government may exert substantial interventions and influences to our operations at any time. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our post-combination entity to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our shares of Class A ordinary shares significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.” on page 71 and “Risk Factors—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.” on page 74; and (iii) after consummation of our initial business combination, if we undertake a business combination with a target having major operations in China or consolidates its financial statements with a VIE through a VIE structure, we would inherit the legal and operational risks for businesses in China. See “Summary— Risks Associated with Us Being Based in China” on page 9, and “Risk Factors—Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 60.
Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in China (Post-Business Combination)
Jade Value Acquisition Corporation is a blank check company with no operations of its own and no subsidiaries except searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. Although we do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction, our initial business combination target company may include a PRC based company and to the extent that Chinese law prohibits direct foreign investment in the operating company, such business combination may require a VIE structure. As such, we may be required to conduct our operations in China primarily through our subsidiary or the VIE in China. As a result, although other means are available for us to obtain financing at the holding company level, the post-combination entity’s ability to pay dividends to its shareholders and to service any debt it may incur may depend upon dividends paid by our subsidiaries or the VIE. If any of our subsidiaries or the VIE incurs debt on its own in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to Jade Value Acquisition Corporation. Under the VIE structure, the post-combination entity will highly rely on the VIE Agreements between it and the VIE to distribute earnings and settle amounts owed under the VIE agreements. Under the VIE Agreements, in addition to funds to be generated by the VIE’s operations in China, the VIE’s operations can be financed by loans from the WFOE. Funds from the VIE to our public holding entity will be made as service fees to the WFOE pursuant to the VIE Agreements, and the subsidiaries in turn makes distributions or pay dividends to our post-combination entity. Under the VIE structure, we must rely on the shareholders of the VIE to comply with its contractual obligations under the VIE Agreements to pay the funds to the WFOE and then the WFOE, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the public holding entity, distribute funds to us. We cannot guarantee the PRC governments will allow such arrangement either. In addition, our post-combination organization’s subsidiaries and the VIE are required to make appropriations to certain statutory reserve funds, which are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of a solvent liquidation of the companies.
Investment in Chinese companies, which are governed by the Foreign Investment Law, and the dividends and distributions from a China-based operating company are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China are subject to restrictions. The PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. Therefore, we may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from our subsidiaries or the VIE’s profits, if any. Under the VIE structure, current PRC regulations permit a VIE to pay dividends to its holding company only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. For example, current PRC regulations permit VIE’s PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to an overseas subsidiary of our post-combination entity, only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. If we or the post-combination entity are unable to receive all of the revenues from their operations through the VIE Agreements, we may be unable to pay dividends on our ordinary shares.
In addition, each of the VIE’s subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Each of such entity in China is also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation.
Furthermore, if we complete a business combination with a company in China through VIE Agreements and we are unable to receive all of the revenues from our operations through the current VIE Agreements, we may be unable to pay dividends on our ordinary shares. Cash dividends, if any, on our Class A ordinary shares will be paid in U.S. dollars. As a result, although other means are available for us to obtain financing at the holding company level, our ability to pay dividends to its shareholders and to service any debt it may incur may depend upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries and license and service fees paid by our PRC consolidated affiliated entities. If any of our subsidiaries incurs debt on its own in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to us. Current PRC regulations permit a VIE to pay dividends to its holding company only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our post-combination entity’s subsidiaries in China may be required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. In order for us to pay dividends to our shareholders, we will rely on payments made from our post-combination subsidiaries, either directly controlled by us or indirectly controlled by us through VIE Agreements.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at Floor 18, Lianluo Plaza, Wangjing Street #10, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, and our telephone number is +86 13911535799.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have received, a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary share that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. 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.
The Offering
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team and advisors, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
Securities offered | | 7,500,000 units, at $10.00 per unit (or 8,625,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), each unit consisting of: |
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| | ● | one Class A ordinary share; |
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| | ● | one-half of one redeemable warrant; and |
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| | ● | one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share |
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Proposed Nasdaq symbols | | Units: “JVACU” |
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| | Class A Ordinary Shares: “JVAC” |
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| | Warrants: “JVACW” |
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| | Rights: “JVACR” |
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Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights | | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless the representatives inform us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase a multiple of two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. No fractional Class A ordinary shares in connection with an exchange of rights will be issued. Accordingly, we must hold rights in multiples of 10 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. |
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Separate trading of Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K | | In no event will the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
Units: | | |
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Number outstanding before this offering | | 0 |
Number outstanding after this offering and private placement | | 7,500,000 (1)(2) |
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Ordinary Shares: | | |
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Number outstanding before this offering | | 2,156,250 (3)(6) |
Number outstanding after this offering and private placement | | 9,695,000 (1)(4)(6) |
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Warrants: | | |
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Number outstanding before this offering | | 0 |
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Number outstanding after this offering and private placement | | 3,750,000 (1)(5) |
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Exercisability | | Each whole warrant sold in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Therefore, you must separate units in multiples of two in order to receive a whole warrant. We structured each unit to contain one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar special purpose acquisition companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. |
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Exercise price | | $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. |
(1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our founders of 281,250 founder shares. |
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(2) | Represents 7,500,000 units. |
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(3) | Includes up to 281,250 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture by our founders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Excludes 320,000 private shares. |
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(4) | Represents 1,875,000 founder shares, 7,500,000 shares included in the units and 320,000 private shares. |
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(5) | Represents 3,750,000 warrants included in the units. |
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(6) | The ordinary shares included in the units are Class A ordinary shares. Founder shares are classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution.” |
Exercise period | | The warrants will become exercisable on the later of: |
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| | ● | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, or |
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| | ● | 12 months from the closing of this offering; |
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| | provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. |
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| | We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the registration statement to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement provided that if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. |
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| | The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in a trust account. |
Redemption of warrants | | Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants: |
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| | ● | in whole and not in part; |
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| | ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
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| | ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and |
| | ● | if, and only if, the last sale price of our Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $16.50 per share (including adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities-Warrants—Anti-dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
| | We will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such Class A ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. |
Rights | | |
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Number outstanding before this offering | | 0 |
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Number outstanding after this offering and private placement | | 7,500,000(1) |
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Terms of rights | | Each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination. In the event we will not be the surviving company upon completion of our initial business combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive the kind and amount of securities or properties of the surviving entity as the holders of each one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share is entitled to upon the consummation of such transaction. We will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Cayman Islands law, or the Companies Act. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of 10 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. 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. Rights holders are not eligible to vote on or redeem in our initial business combination. |
Founder shares | | On April 16, 2021, our sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 founder shares. On November 8, 2021, we effectuated a capitalization of shares in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so our sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 founder shares at no additional consideration. As a result, our sponsor acquired 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. In addition, our sponsor has committed to transfer an aggregated amount of 60,000 founder shares to our officers and directors or their designees prior to the consummation of this offering at the original purchase price. Prior to the initial investments in the company by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 25% of the shares sold in the offering. As such, our founders will collectively own 22.64% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (including founder shares and private shares and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). |
| | The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: |
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| | ● | the holders of Class B ordinary shares have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination; |
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| | ● | the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
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| | ● | our founders have agreed to vote any founder shares and private shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to their founder shares and private shares, we would need 2,652,501, or 35.37%, of the 7,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised); |
| | ● | our founders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if we extend the time that we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we submit our initial business combination to our shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination; and |
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| | ● | the founder shares are subject to registration rights. |
| | | Nevertheless, we do not expect that holders of Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares prior to the closing of our initial business combination, except that, to the extent necessary, they may convert their Class B ordinary shares in part or in full upon the effectiveness of this prospectus in order for us to meet the listing standards of NASDAQ Global Market to list our securities, particularly the market value of listed securities standard which requires the market value of listed securities is no less than $50 million. In the event that holders of Class B ordinary shares convert any of their Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares, for the shares converted, they will no longer have the rights as holders of Class B ordinary shares, but rather the rights as holders of Class A ordinary shares, provided that such Class A ordinary shares remain as founder shares and subject to the same limitations and restrictions as the founder shares. The converted Class A ordinary shares will still be deemed as founder shares and are subject to restrictions on founder shares, therefore, the shareholders of converted Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to the rights granted to public shareholders who purchased Class A ordinary shares in this offering. We will adopt an amended and restated memorandum and articles of association at the effectiveness of the prospectus, pursuant to which holders of Class B ordinary shares shall have no rights to convert Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares until the day of the consummation of initial business combination. |
Transfer restrictions on founder shares | | Our founders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or (B) the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Shares”). We refer to such transfer restrictions on founder shares and private shares throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. |
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Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights | | Our memorandum and articles of association, or our current charter, does not restrict the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares prior to the closing of the offering, however, our sponsor as the sole holder of Class B ordinary shares prior to the effectives of this prospectus, has committed not to convert any Class B ordinary shares. We will adopt the first amended and restatement memorandum and articles of association, or our IPO charter, immediately prior to or upon the effectiveness of this prospectus, pursuant to which, Class B ordinary share will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, on one-for-one basis (subject to adjustments for share dividend, share split, recapitalization, reorganization and the like). In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement-equivalent warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one for one basis. |
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Voting | | Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as required by law. Each ordinary share will have one vote on all such matters. However, prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the holders of Class B ordinary shares shall have the exclusive right to elect and remove, with or without cause, any director, and the holders of Class A ordinary shares shall have no right to vote on the election or removal of any director. |
Private shares | | Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of up to 320,000 (or up to 342,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) private shares, at $10.00 per share (approximately $3,200,000 in the aggregate or approximately $3,425,000 in the aggregate if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to limited exceptions. |
| | However, the holder of the private shares will be entitled to registration rights. In addition, the private shares 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. A portion of the purchase price of the private shares will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $75.0 million (or $86.25 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. |
Transfer restrictions on private shares | | The private shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Shares”). |
Proceeds to be held in trust account | | The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, $75,000,000, or $10.00 per unit ($86,250,000, or $10.00 per unit, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be placed into a U.S.-based trust account with Wilmington Trust, National Association, acting as trustee. These proceeds include $2,625,000 (or $3,018,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. |
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| | Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares that are deposited in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Wilmington Trust, National Association on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $750,000, or $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,500,000 or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. The sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private shares at a price of $10.00 per share. Our public shareholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions. |
Anticipated expenses and funding sources | | Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. Based upon an assumed interest rate of 0.05%, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $37,500 of interest annually. |
| | Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
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| | ● | the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $650,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,050,000 in expenses (excluding underwriting commissions) relating to this offering; and |
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| | ● | any loans or additional investments from our founders or their affiliates, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. |
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Conditions to completing our initial business combination | | There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and interest income earned on the trust account that is released for working capital purposes or to pay taxes) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. |
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| | If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses or we are considering an initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm. We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. |
| | We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, 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 an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable. |
Permitted purchases of public shares by our affiliates | | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our founders or their affiliates may purchase shares 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 founders or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of Nasdaq. 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or 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. |
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination | | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares 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 our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our founders 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 and private shares held by them and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our business combination or otherwise and to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. |
Manner of conducting redemptions | | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval, while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder 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 shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association: |
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| | ● | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
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| | ● | 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 under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
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| | Upon the public announcement of our business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our founders will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. |
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| | In the event that we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of 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 shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination. |
| | If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will: |
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| | ● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
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| | ● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
| | If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all issued and outstanding shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our founders will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares 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 founder shares and private shares, we would need 2,652,501, or 35.37%, of the 7,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). |
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| | 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 quorums and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our founders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote, , do not vote or abstain, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, and irrespective of whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. |
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| | We may require our public shareholders 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 business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares. |
| | Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of 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 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 business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. |
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Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote | | Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our business combination. |
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our memorandum and articles of association | | Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain charter provisions. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of shares into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Cayman Islands law, or the Companies Act, or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or in our initial business combination or that would entitle holders to receive funds from the trust account. Our founders, who will beneficially own 22.64% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Our founders have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us (filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part), that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (ii) with respect to any other material provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and amounts released to us for working capital purposes) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our founders 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 shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. |
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination | | On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us. We will use these funds to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting compensation, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt instruments, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other assets, companies or for working capital. |
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | | Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if extended) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete 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 for working capital purposes or to pay our taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the 18-month time period. |
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| | Our founders have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares or private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus). However, if our founders acquire public shares in or after this offering, 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 time period. |
| | The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commissions held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. |
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Limited payments to insiders | | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made to our founders or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. In addition, the following payments will be made to our founders or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: |
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| | ● | Repayment of an aggregate of up to $500,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor; |
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| | ● | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
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| | ● | Repayment of loans which may be made by our founders or an affiliate of our founders to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination and/or in connection with the extension of the time that we need to complete a business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares, or working capital shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The working capital shares would be identical to the private shares sold in the private placement. |
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| | ● | Repayment of extension loans which may be made by our sponsor, its affiliates or designee if we extend the time available to us to complete our initial business combination at an amount of $750,000, or $862,500 if the over-allotment is exercised in full, for each three-month extension, which may be convertible into units, or working capital 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 founders or their affiliates. |
Audit Committee | | We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” |
Conflicts of Interest | | Although we do not believe any conflict currently exists between us and our founders or their affiliates, our founders or their affiliates may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If such entities decide to pursue an opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunity. None of our founders or their respective affiliates will have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, unless presented to such member specifically in his or her capacity as an officer or director of the Company. Our management team, in their capacities as employees or affiliates of our founders or in their other endeavors, may be required to present potential business combinations to future founders’ affiliates or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us. |
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| | Our officers may become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act, even before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus). |
Indemnity | | Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 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 the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not 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. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. |
Risk Factors Summary
We are a newly incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business – Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” Since we may initiate a business combination with target company operating in China, you may be subject to additional risk factors. Please see “Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” beginning from page 60 for more information. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” of this prospectus.
Such risks include, but are not limited to:
| ● | Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination. |
| ● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our founders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote. |
| ● | 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 recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets. |
| ● | The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a 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 business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders. |
| ● | 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 shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
| ● | 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, warrants or rights, potentially at a loss. |
| ● | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies. |
| ● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares. |
| ● | Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
| ● | We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise. |
| ● | 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. |
| ● | Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations. |
| ● | Our officers and directors may allocate their time to other businesses and may become officers or directors of other special purpose acquisition companies, thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs and whether to present a target to us instead of our competitors. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
| ● | We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies. |
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States
| ● | If we complete 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. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States” on page 51. |
| ● | Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, our results of operations may be negatively impacted. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States” on page 51. |
| ● | Many countries have difficult and unpredictable legal systems and underdeveloped laws and regulations that are unclear and subject to corruption and inexperience, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States” on page 51. |
| ● | If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States” on page 51. |
| ● | If any dividend is declared in the future and paid in a foreign currency, you may be taxed on a larger amount in U.S. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States” on page 51. |
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China
See “Risk Factors - Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” beginning from page 60 of this prospectus for further discussion.
| ● | If we effect our initial business combination with a target business with its primary operation in the People’s Republic of China, the laws applicable to such business will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 60. |
| ● | Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be quick with little advance notice and could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate profitably in the PRC. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 72. |
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| ● | We may initiate a business combination with a company with operations in China by entering into VIE Agreements. If PRC governments or courts find that the VIE Agreements do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations or we could be unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the post-combination target company, which could cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares depreciate significantly or become worthless. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 62. |
| ● | The Chinese government may exert substantial interventions and influences to our operations at any time. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our post-combination entity to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our shares of Class A ordinary shares significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 71. |
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| ● | Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under the contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 66. |
| ● | China Securities Regulatory Commission and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers. If the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval. As a result, both you and us face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 72. |
| ● | In light of recent events indicating greater oversight by the CAC over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list on a foreign exchange, companies with more than one million users’ personal information in China, especially some internet and technology companies, may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. Further, we may also avoid a business combination with a company with more than one million users’ personal information in China due to the limited timeline for us to complete a business combination. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 69. |
| ● | Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our net revenue effectively and our ability to transfer cash between our PRC subsidiaries and us, across borders, and to investors and affect the value of your investment. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 60. |
| ● | PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our ability to inject capital in our Chinese subsidiaries and Chinese subsidiaries’ ability to change their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise expose us or our PRC resident beneficial owners to liability and penalties under PRC laws. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 64. |
| ● | Though we explicitly exclude any target whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in China. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 65. |
Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| | September 30, 2021 | |
| | Actual | | | As Adjusted | |
Balance Sheet Data: | | | | | | |
Working capital (deficiency)(1) | | $ | (213,020 | ) | | $ | 73,045,727 | |
Total assets(2) | | $ | 233,747 | | | $ | 75,670,727 | |
Total liabilities(3) | | $ | 213,020 | | | $ | 2,625,000 | |
Value of ordinary share subject to possible conversion/tender(4) | | $ | - | | | $ | 75,000,000 | |
Shareholders’ equity(5) | | $ | 20,727 | | | $ | (1,954,273 | ) |
| (1) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $75,000,000 of cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, plus $650,000 of cash held outside the trust account, less $2,625,000 for deferred underwriting commissions, plus $20,727 of actual shareholders’ equity on September 30, 2021. |
| (2) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $75,000,000 of cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, plus $650,000 of cash held outside the trust account, plus $20,727 of actual shareholders’ equity at September 30, 2021. |
| (3) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $2,625,000 for the underwriters’ deferred underwriting commissions. |
| (4) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals value of 7,500,000 ordinary shares subject to redemption. |
| (5) | Excludes 7,500,000 ordinary shares which may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination and assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of ordinary shares that may be converted in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share). |
If no business combination is completed within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our founders have agreed to waive 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 such time period.
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination
We are a newly incorporated company formed as a Cayman Islands exempted 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 incorporated company formed as a Cayman Islands exempted company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of September 30 and May 17, we had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $213,020 and $53,010, respectively. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our founders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies in which the initial shareholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination, our founders have agreed to vote their founder shares and private shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering, in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our founders’ founder shares and private shares, we would need 2,652,501, or 35.37%, of the 7,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Our founder shares and private shares will represent 22.64% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering, assuming no exercise of over-allotment option. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if our founders agreed to vote their founder shares and private shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
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 shareholder approval of the 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 one or more target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder 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 shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with 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 shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of 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 upon completion of our initial business combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition, each as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares 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 shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our 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 deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If our 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.
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 recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in a widespread health crisis that has and may continue to adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we may consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, 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. In addition, countries or supranational organizations in our target markets may develop and implement legislation that makes it more difficult or impossible for entities outside such countries or target markets to acquire or otherwise invest in companies or businesses deemed essential or otherwise vital. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for and ability to consummate a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which 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, and result in protectionist sentiments and legislation in our target markets, 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. In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events.
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.
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.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a 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 business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
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 shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus). We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. and globally may grow or resurge and while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meeting 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. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. 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 taxes or for working capital purposes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our founders and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares, warrants or rights from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our founders or their affiliates may purchase shares, warrants or 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. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our founders or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the 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 business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares, warrants or 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.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our 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 business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, 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 shareholders 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 business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination — Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
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, warrants or rights, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders 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 public shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity 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 this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) for any reason, compliance with Cayman Islands law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing shareholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares, warrants or rights, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private shares and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary share, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary share.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our 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 business combination. 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.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We 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, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, 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 Class A ordinary shares which our public shareholders 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 a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants 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 next 12 months (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus); 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 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 shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share or less in certain circumstances on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares 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 founders or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to pay our 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.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, only approximately $650,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $650,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $650,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our founders or their affiliates to operate, or we may be forced to liquidate. None of our founders 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. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our founders or an affiliate of our founders 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 but in the event that we seek loans from any third parties, we will obtain 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 shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our founders, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 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, 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 shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will 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. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue.
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 business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 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 the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not 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. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our independent directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which 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 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. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, 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 shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders 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 shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, 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 shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy 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 shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable for a fine of approximately $18,000 and imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or 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’ operations.
Although we expect to focus our search for a target business on companies within technology-enabled financial sectors, including but not limited to, blockchain infrastructure, software services, and non-fungible token, we may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector. However, we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to complete our business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because 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 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 revenues 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 the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may face additional and distinctive risks if we acquire a financial technology business.
Business combinations with financial technology businesses may involve special considerations and risks. If we complete our initial business combination with a financial technology business, we will be subject to the following risks, any of which could be detrimental to us and the business we acquire:
| ● | If the company or business we acquire provides products or services which relate to the facilitation of financial transactions, such as funds or securities settlement system, and such product or service fails or is compromised, we may be subject to claims from both the firms to whom we provide our products and services and the clients they serve; |
| ● | If we are unable to keep pace with evolving technology and changes in the financial services industry, our revenues and future prospects may decline; |
| ● | Our ability to provide financial technology products and services to customers may be reduced or eliminated by regulatory changes; |
| ● | Any business or company we acquire could be vulnerable to cyberattack or theft of individual identities or personal data; |
| ● | Difficulties with any products or services we provide could damage our reputation and business; |
| ● | A failure to comply with privacy regulations could adversely affect relations with customers and have a negative impact on business; |
| ● | We may not be able to protect our intellectual property and we may be subject to infringement claims; and |
| ● | We and any business or company we acquire may not be able to adapt to the complex and evolving regulatory environment for financial technology services in China. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to financial technology businesses. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.
Past performance by our management team, our advisors and our founders may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with our management team and our founders and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team and our founders is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. Majority of our officers, directors and advisors have not had management experience with special purpose acquisition corporations in the past. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s, our advisors’ or our founders’ respective performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. Furthermore, an investment in us is not an investment in our founders or their affiliates.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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 criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company such as a pre-revenue entity with a limited operating history, 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 investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, a lack of 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 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 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 shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may complete 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 shareholders’ 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 shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to complete our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares, up to $75,000,000 (or $86,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to approximately $2,625,000, or up to approximately $3,018,750 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
We may complete our 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 complete our 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 developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our business combination.
Risks Related to Our Management
Our ability to successfully complete our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of members of our management team, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of such people could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully complete our business combination is dependent upon the efforts of members of our management team. The role of members of our management team in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some members of our management team may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Members of our management team 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 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.
Members of our management team may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. 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 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 members of our management team will remain with us after the completion of our business combination. We cannot assure you that any members of our management team will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any members of our management team will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors may allocate their time to other businesses and may become officers or directors of other special purpose acquisition companies, thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs and whether to present a target to us instead of our competitors. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors have fiduciary responsibility to dedicate substantially all their business time to their respective affairs and their respective portfolio companies. However, this responsibility does not require any of our officers or directors to commit his or her full time to our affairs in particular, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses, including other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation. Furthermore, our officers and directors may become an officer or director of another special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act even before we enter a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, each of our officers and certain of our directors are employed by or affiliated with our founders, which makes investments in securities or other interests of or relating to companies in industries we may target for our initial business combination. Our independent directors 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; or if they have fiduciary duty to present a target company to our competitor instead of us, which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
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 this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities in the future to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties, including our founders’ affiliates. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management — Officers, Directors and Director Nominees,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our founders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our founders or their respective 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. 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.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our founders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our founders or their respective affiliates. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our founders are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Sources of Target Businesses” 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 company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our founders or their respective affiliates, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our founders will lose their entire investment in us if our 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 April 16, 2021, our sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 founder shares. On November 8, 2021, we effectuated a capitalization of shares in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so our sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 founder shares at no additional consideration. As a result, our sponsor acquired 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Our sponsor has committed to transfer an aggregated amount of 60,000 founder shares to our directors, officers and/or their designees as their compensation shares prior to the closing of this offering at the original purchase price. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering). The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 320,000 (or 342,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private shares, at $10.00 per share, for a purchase price of approximately $3,200,000 (or approximately $3,425,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The founder shares and private shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Our founders have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares or private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our founders. The personal and financial interests of our founders 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.
In order to complete our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or other governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our shareholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to complete a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreement. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, changed industry focus and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amen our charter or other governing instruments or change our industry focus in order to complete our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of 65% of our ordinary share, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of shares into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or in our initial business combination. Our founders, who will beneficially own up to 22.64% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our founders have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (ii) with respect to any other material provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and amounts previously released to us for working capital purposes), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our founders. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our founders for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
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.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, 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 shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed 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. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 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 taxes) on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
Our founders and other insiders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our founders will own founder shares representing 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the sale of the private shares). Simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing 320,000 private shares (or up to 342,500 private shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our sponsor. In addition, if our founders or their designated parties make any working capital loans, up to $120,000 of such loans may be converted into working capital shares, at the price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lenders. Such working capital shares would be identical to the private shares sold in the private placement. Accordingly, our founders along with any designated parties may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our founders purchase any units in this offering or if they purchase any additional ordinary shares 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 ordinary share. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by certain of our initial shareholders, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual 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 shareholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our founders, will entitle the founders to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by the vote of at least 90% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
Post Business Combination Risks
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding 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 ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s 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.
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 post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States
If we complete 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 complete 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.
Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, our results of operations may be negatively impacted.
Managing a business, operations, personnel, or assets in another country is challenging and costly. Any management that we may have (whether based abroad or in the U.S.) may be inexperienced in cross-border business practices and unaware of significant differences in accounting rules, legal regimes, and labor practices. Even with a seasoned and experienced management team, the costs, and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, personnel and assets can be significant (and much higher than in a purely domestic business) and may negatively impact our financial and operational performance.
Many countries have difficult and unpredictable legal systems and underdeveloped laws and regulations that are unclear and subject to corruption and inexperience, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to seek and enforce legal protections, including with respect to intellectual property and other property rights, or to defend ourselves with regard to legal actions taken against us in a given country, may be difficult or impossible, which could adversely impact our operations, assets, or financial condition.
Rules and regulations in many countries are often ambiguous or open to differing interpretation by responsible individuals and agencies at the municipal, state, regional and federal levels. The attitudes and actions of such individuals and agencies are often difficult to predict and inconsistent.
Delay with respect to the enforcement of particular rules and regulations, including those relating to customs, tax, environmental and labor, could cause serious disruption to operations abroad and negatively impact our results.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under Federal securities laws.
In addition, if we effect our initial business combination with a business either based in or having significant operations in the PRC, the laws of the PRC will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations, including any contractual arrangements through which we acquire control of the target business. The PRC’s legal system is a civil-law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common-law system, prior court decisions under the PRC’s civil-law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value, which has led to uncertainty and inconsistency in the interpretation and enforcement of many laws. Uncertainties also exist with respect to new legislation or proposed changes in the PRC regulatory requirements as the PRC legal system is rapidly evolving. As such, we cannot assure you that the target business or the combined company will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available.
If any dividend is declared in the future and paid in a foreign currency, you may be taxed on a larger amount in U.S.
If you are a U.S. holder of our ordinary shares, you will be taxed on the U.S. dollar value of your dividends, if any, at the time you receive them, even if you actually receive a smaller amount of U.S. dollars when the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. Specifically, if a dividend is declared and paid in a foreign currency, the amount of the dividend distribution that you must include in your income as a U.S. holder will be the U.S. dollar value of the payments made in the foreign currency, determined at the spot rate of the foreign currency to the U.S. dollar on the date the dividend distribution is includible in your income, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. Thus, if the value of the foreign currency decreases before you actually convert the currency into U.S. dollars, you will be taxed on a larger amount in U.S. dollars than the U.S. dollar amount that you will actually ultimately receive.
Risks Related to Our Securities
If our securities are approved for listing, Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We have applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights listed on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders’ 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 share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and our shareholders’ 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 ordinary share is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary share to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| ● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| ● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares, warrants 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.
Holders of warrants and rights will not have redemption rights if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we redeem and distribute the funds held in the trust account, the warrants and rights will expire and holders will not receive any of such proceeds with respect to the warrants or rights.
We have no obligation to net cash settle the warrants or rights.
In no event will we have any obligation to net cash settle the warrants or rights. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless.
We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our reasonable best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary share is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares for sale under all applicable state securities laws. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such Class A ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering.
We may issue additional ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the closing of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 7,820,000 Class A ordinary shares and 1,875,000 Class B ordinary shares (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option and 281,250 founder shares have been forfeited as a result) issued and outstanding. As a result, there will be 192,180,000 unissued Class A ordinary shares and 18,125,000 Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the Class A ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of any outstanding warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary share. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustments as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may not issue securities that can vote with shareholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the closing of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to: (i) receive funds from the trust account; (ii) vote on any initial business combination; or (iii) vote on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with the approval of our shareholders. However, our executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preferred shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares warrants and/or rights. |
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our 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 ordinary shares; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares 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. |
The grant of registration rights to our founders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary share.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our founders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register their founder shares and private shares, after those shares convert to our Class A ordinary shares at the closing of our initial business combination. In addition, holders of our private shares and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private shares, and holders of working capital shares if any may demand that we register such 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 ordinary share. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the post-combination entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary share that is expected when the ordinary shares and private shares owned by our founders or holders of our working capital shares or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
The exercise price for the warrants is higher than in some similar blank check company offerings in the past, and, accordingly, the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The exercise price of the warrants is higher than some similar blank check companies in the past. Historically, the exercise price of a warrant was generally a fraction of the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our warrants is $11.50 per share. As a result, the warrants are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
In order to complete our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or other governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our shareholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to complete a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreement. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, changed industry focus and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or other governing instruments or change our industry focus in order to complete our initial business combination.
Our founders contributed an aggregate of approximately $25,000, or approximately $0.013 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary share.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our founders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 107.26% (or $9.75 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book (deficit) per share of $$(0.66) (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of rights ) and the initial offering price of $9.09 per share (including ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of rights). In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary share.
Our founders paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.013 per founder share. As a result of this low initial price, our founders stand to make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public shareholders.
As a result of the low acquisition cost of our founder shares, our founders could make a substantial profit even if we select and consummate an initial business combination with an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public shareholders. Thus, such parties may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if such parties had paid the full offering price for their founder shares.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsors for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsors paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares, or the founder shares, at approximately $0.012 per share. Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares, on one-for-one basis (subject to adjustments for share dividend, share split, recapitalization, reorganization and the like) as provided in our first amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted when founder shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis automatically upon the closing of our initial business combination, subject to certain anti-dilution exceptions. In the event that holders of Class B ordinary shares convert any of their Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares, for the shares converted, they will no longer have the rights as holders of Class B ordinary shares, but rather the rights as holders of Class A ordinary shares, provided that the converted Class A ordinary shares will still be deemed as founder shares and are subject to restrictions on founder shares, and therefore, the shareholders of converted Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to the rights granted to public shareholders who purchased Class A ordinary shares in this offering. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon fully conversion of the founder shares at the discretion of the holders or the consummation of our initial business combination assuming that our equity value at that time is $75,000,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs (including payment of $2,625,000 of deferred underwriting commissions), any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, as well as the value of our warrants. At such valuation, each of our Class A ordinary shares would have an implied value of $7.74 per share upon the conversion of all of our founder shares, which is a 22.6% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00.
Public shares | | | 7,500,000 | |
Private shares | | | 320,000 | |
Founder shares | | | 1,875,000 | |
Total shares | | | 9,695,000 | |
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination | | $ | 75,000,000 | |
Initial implied value per public share | | $ | 10.00 | |
Implied value per share upon the conversion of founder shares | | $ | 7.74 | |
The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our ordinary at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.
Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsors will have invested in us an aggregate of $3,225,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $3,200,000 purchase price for the private shares. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 1,875,000 founder shares and 320,000 private shares would have an aggregate implied value of $21,950,000. Even if the trading price of our ordinary shares was as low as $1.47 per share, the value of the founder shares and private shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsors are likely to be able to make a substantial profit on its investment in us at a time when our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsors, may be more willing to pursue a business combination with a riskier or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsors had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
Our outstanding warrants and rights may have an adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.
We will be issuing public warrants that will result in the issuance of up to 4,312,500 Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered by this prospectus. We will also be issuing public rights that will result in the issuance of up to 862,500 Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered by this prospectus. The potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares upon exercise of the warrants and conversion of the rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such securities, when converted, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants and rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants and rights could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants and rights are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between VStock Transfer LLC, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement 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.
These provisions of warrant agreement will apply to action, proceeding or claim brought to enforce any liability or duty arising under the Securities Act, Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $16.50 per share (as adjusted for share sub-division, capitalization issue, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third business day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
Our private shares and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary share and make it more difficult to complete our business combination.
Simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing 320,000 private shares (or up to 342,500 private shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our sponsor, one of our founders. Our founders currently own 2,156,250 founder shares (up to 281,250 founder shares are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is exercised in full or in part). In addition, if our founders or their affiliates make any working capital loans, up to $500,000 of such loans may be converted into working capital shares, at the price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. Such working capital shares would be identical to the private shares sold in the private placement.
To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to complete a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights of up to $3,000,000 working capital loans (including extension loans) could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our private shares and founder shares may make it more difficult to complete a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one Class A ordinary share, one-half warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share and one right to receive one-tenth of one whole Class A ordinary share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants and rights were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the underwriters with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights underlying the units, include:
| ● | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
| ● | prior offerings of those companies; |
| ● | our prospects for acquiring an operating business; |
| ● | a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
| ● | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
| ● | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| ● | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include target historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, 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 financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China
If we effect our initial business combination with a target with its primary operation in the People’s Republic of China, the laws applicable to such business will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect our initial business combination with a target business with its primary operation in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), the laws of the country in which such business operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations, including any contractual arrangements through which we acquire control of target business as described above. We cannot assure you that we or the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. In addition, the judiciary in the PRC is relatively inexperienced compared to others in enforcing corporate and commercial law, leading to a higher than usual degree of uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation. In addition, to the extent that our target business’s material agreements are with governmental agencies in the PRC, we may not be able to enforce or obtain a remedy from such agencies due to sovereign immunity, in which the government is deemed to be immune from civil lawsuit or criminal prosecution. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our net revenue effectively and our ability to transfer cash between our PRC subsidiaries and us, across borders, and to investors and affect the value of your investment.
Following our initial business combination with a PRC target company, we will be subject to the PRC’s rules and regulations on currency conversion. In the PRC, the SAFE regulates the conversion of the Renminbi into foreign currencies. The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China.
Under PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Under existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from PRC subsidiaries in China may be used to pay dividends.
However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may at its discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not pay dividends in foreign currencies to our investors.
PRC regulatory authorities could impose further restrictions on the convertibility of the Renminbi. Any future restrictions on currency exchanges may limit our ability to use the proceeds of this offering in an initial business combination with a PRC target company and the use our cash flow for the distribution of dividends to our shareholders or to fund operations we may have outside of the PRC.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located in the PRC, we may be subject to certain risks associated with acquiring and operating businesses in the PRC.
We may be subject to certain risks associated with acquiring and operating business in the PRC in our search for a business combination and operation of any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination.
First, certain rules and regulations concerning mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors in the PRC may make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more complex and time consuming, including, among others:
| ● | the requirement that the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (the “MOFCOM”) be notified in certain circumstances in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise or any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered; |
| ● | the authority of certain government agencies to have scrutiny over the economics of an acquisition transaction and requirement for consideration in a transaction to be paid within stated time limits; and |
| ● | the requirement for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns to be subject to strict review by the MOFCOM. |
Complying with these and other requirements could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to acquire PRC-based businesses. A business combination we propose may not be able to be completed if the terms of the transaction do not satisfy aspects of the approval process and may not be completed, even if approved, if they are not consummated within the time permitted by the approvals granted.
In addition, the PRC currently prohibits and/or restricts foreign ownership in certain “important industries,” including telecommunications, food production and heavy equipment. There are uncertainties under certain regulations whether obtaining a majority interest through contractual arrangements will comply with regulations prohibiting or restricting foreign ownership in certain industries. There is no assurance that the PRC government will not apply restrictions in other industries. In addition, there can be restrictions on the foreign ownership of businesses that are determined from time to time to be in “important industries” that may affect the national economic security or those having “famous brand names” or “well-established brand names.” Subject to the review and approval requirements of the relevant agencies and the various percentage ownership limitations that exist from time to time, acquisitions involving foreign investors and parties in the various restricted categories of assets and industries may nonetheless sometimes be consummated using contractual arrangements with permitted local parties. If we choose to effect a business combination that employs the use of these types of control arrangements, these contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with the same economic benefits, accounting consolidation or control over a target business as would direct ownership due to limited implementation guidance provided with respect to such regulations. If the government of the PRC finds that the agreements we entered into to acquire control of a target business through contractual arrangements with one or more operating businesses do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located in the PRC, a substantial portion of our operations may be conducted in the PRC, and a significant portion of our net revenues maybe derived from customers where the contracting entity is located in the PRC. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and certain transactions we may undertake may be subject, to a significant extent, to economic, political and governmental and legal developments, laws and regulations in the PRC. For instance, all or most of our material agreements may be governed by PRC law and we may have difficulty in enforcing our legal rights because the system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in PRC may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. In addition, contractual arrangements we enter into with potential future subsidiaries and affiliated entities or acquisitions of offshore entities that conduct operations through affiliates in the PRC may be subject to a high level of scrutiny by the relevant PRC tax authorities. We may also be subject to restrictions on dividend payments after we consummate a business combination and if we rely on dividends and other distributions from our operating company to provide us with cash flow and to meet our other obligations.
The PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China.
The M&A Rules include, among other things, provisions that purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by special purpose vehicles seeking CSRC’s approval of overseas listings. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules and the CSRC approval requirement to offshore special purpose vehicles.
Moreover, except for emphasizing the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies, the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021, also provides that the State Council will revise provisions regarding the overseas issuance and listing of shares by companies limited by shares and will clarify the duties of domestic regulatory authorities.
Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the M&A Rules or the Opinions from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company, given that: (a) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules; and (b) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in Cayman Islands rather than China and currently the company conducts no business in China. However, there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules and the Opinions will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering or if we decide to consummate the business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. In any such event, these governmental authorities may delay this offering or a potential business combination, impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities.
Our company is a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We currently do not hold any equity interest in any PRC company or operate any business in China. Therefore, we are not required to obtain any permission from any PRC governmental authorities to operate our business as currently conducted. If we decide to consummate our business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company’s business operations in China through its subsidiaries and VIEs, as applicable, are subject to relevant requirements to obtain applicable licenses from PRC governmental authorities under relevant PRC laws and regulations.
Contractual arrangements we enter into with potential future subsidiaries and affiliated entities or acquisitions of offshore entities that conduct operations through affiliates in the PRC may be subject to a high level of scrutiny by the relevant tax authorities.
Under the laws of the PRC, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the relevant tax authorities. If any of the transactions we enter into with potential future subsidiaries and affiliated entities are found not to be on an arm’s-length basis, or to result in an unreasonable reduction in tax under local law, the relevant tax authorities may have the authority to disallow any tax savings, adjust the profits and losses of such potential future local entities and assess late payment interest and penalties. A finding by the relevant tax authorities that we are ineligible for any such tax savings, or that any of our possible future affiliated entities are not eligible for tax exemptions, would substantially increase our possible future taxes and thus reduce our net income and the value of a shareholder’s investment. In addition, in the event that in connection with an acquisition of an offshore entity that conducted its operations through affiliates in the PRC, the sellers of such entities failed to pay any taxes required under local law, the relevant tax authorities could require us to withhold and pay the tax, together with late-payment interest and penalties. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a negative impact on our operating results and financial condition.
We may initiate a business combination with a company with operations in China by entering into VIE Agreements. If PRC governments or courts find that the VIE Agreements do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations or we could be unbale to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the post-combination target company, which could cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares depreciate significantly or become worthless.
The PRC currently prohibits and/or restricts foreign ownership in certain “important industries,” including telecommunications, food production and heavy equipment. There are uncertainties under certain regulations whether obtaining a majority interest through contractual arrangements will comply with regulations prohibiting or restricting foreign ownership in certain industries. For example, the PRC may apply restrictions in other industries in the future. In addition, there can be restrictions on the foreign ownership of businesses that are determined from time to time to be in “important industries” that may affect the national economic security or those having “famous brand names” or “well-established brand names.”
If we or any of our potential future target businesses are found to be in violation of any existing or future local laws or regulations (for example, if we are deemed to be holding equity interests in certain of our affiliated entities in which direct foreign ownership is prohibited), the relevant regulatory authorities might have the discretion to:
| ● | revoke the business and operating licenses of the potential future target business; |
| ● | confiscate relevant income and impose fines and other penalties; |
| ● | discontinue or restrict the operations of the potential future target business; |
| ● | require us or the potential future target business to restructure the relevant ownership structure or operations; |
| ● | restrict or prohibit our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our businesses and operations in the relevant jurisdiction; or |
| ● | impose conditions or requirements with which we or the potential future target business may not be able to comply. |
If we acquire control of a target business through contractual arrangements with one or more operating businesses in the PRC, such contracts may not be as effective in providing operational control as direct ownership of such business and may be difficult to enforce.
We will only acquire a business or businesses that, upon the consummation of our initial business combination, will be our majority-owned subsidiaries and will be neither investment companies nor companies excluded from the definition of an investment company by Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act. However, the PRC has restricted or limited foreign ownership of certain kinds of assets and companies operating in certain industries. The industry groups that are restricted are wide-ranging, including, for example, certain aspects of telecommunications, food production, and heavy equipment manufacturers. In addition, there can be restrictions on the foreign ownership of businesses that are determined from time to time to be in “important industries” that may affect the national economic security or having “famous brand names” or “well-established brand names.” Subject to the review and approval requirements of the relevant agencies for acquisitions of assets and companies in the relevant jurisdictions and subject to the various percentage ownership limitations that exist from time to time, acquisitions involving foreign investors and parties in the various restricted categories of assets and industries may nonetheless sometimes be consummated using contractual arrangements with permitted local parties. To the extent that such agreements are employed, they may be for control of specific assets such as intellectual property or control of blocks of the equity ownership interests of a company which may provide exceptions to the merger and acquisition regulations mentioned above since these types of arrangements typically do not involve a change of equity ownership in the operating company. The agreements would be designed to provide our company with the economic benefits of, and control over, the subject assets or equity interests similar to the rights of full ownership, while leaving the technical ownership in the hands of local parties who would be our nominees and, therefore, may exempt the transaction from certain regulations, including the application process required thereunder.
However, since there has been limited implementation guidance provided with respect to such regulations, the relevant government agency might apply them to a business combination effected through contractual arrangements. If such an agency determines or interprets that such an application should have been made or that our potential future target businesses are otherwise in violation of local laws or regulations, consequences may include confiscating relevant income and levying fines and other penalties, revoking business and other licenses, requiring restructure of ownership or operations, requiring discontinuation or restriction of the operations of any portion or all of the acquired business, restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our businesses and operations and imposing conditions or requirements with which we or potential future target businesses may not be able to comply, and we could be unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the post-combination target company, which could cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares may depreciate significantly or become worthless. These agreements likely also would provide for increased ownership or full ownership and control by us when and if permitted under local laws and regulations. If we choose to effect a business combination that employs the use of these types of control arrangements, we may have difficulty in enforcing our rights. Therefore, these contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with the same economic benefits, accounting consolidation or control over a target business as would direct ownership. For example, if the target business or any other entity fails to perform its obligations under these contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend substantial resources to enforce such arrangements, and rely on legal remedies under local law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure will be sufficient to offset the cost of enforcement and may adversely affect the benefits we expect to receive from the business combination.
In addition, if any VIE or all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect the post-combined company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of the VIE undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, its shareholders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate the post-combined company’s business, which could materially and adversely affect the post-combined company’s business and its ability to generate revenues.
There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may ultimately take a view that is contrary to the accepted industry practices with respect to the VIE Agreements. In addition, it is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to the VIE structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. PRC government authorities may deem that foreign ownership is directly or indirectly involved in the VIE’s shareholding structure. If our potential corporate structure and contractual arrangements are deemed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, or the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, or other regulators having competent authority to be illegal, either in whole or in part, the post-combined company may lose control of the consolidate the VIE and have to modify such structure to comply with regulatory requirements. However, there can be no assurance that we can achieve this without material disruption to the PRC target company’s business. Furthermore, if the post-combined company or the VIE is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including, without limitation:
| ● | revoking the business license and/or operating licenses of the post-combined company or the VIE; |
| ● | discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations through any transactions under the VIE agreements; |
| ● | imposing fines, confiscating the income from the post-combined company, the VIE or its subsidiaries, or imposing other requirements with which the post-combined company or the VIE may not be able to comply; |
| ● | placing restrictions on our right to collect revenues; |
| ● | requiring the post-combined company to restructure its ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with the VIE and deregistering the equity pledges of the VIE, which in turn would affect the post-combined company’s ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over the VIE; or |
| ● | taking other regulatory or enforcement actions against the post-combined company that could be harmful to the post-combined company business. |
The imposition of any of these penalties will result in a material and adverse effect on our potential ability to conduct the business. In addition, it is unclear what impact the PRC government actions will have on the post-combined company and on the post-combined company’s ability to consolidate the financial results of the VIE in its consolidated financial statements, if the PRC government authorities were to find our potential corporate structure and contractual arrangements to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations. If the imposition of any of these government actions causes the post-combined company to lose the right to direct the activities of the VIE or the right to receive substantially all the economic benefits and residual returns from the VIE and the post-combined company is not able to restructure the ownership structure and operations in a timely and satisfactory manner, the post-combined company will no longer be able to consolidate the financial results of the VIE in its consolidated financial statements. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on the post-combined company in this event, it will have a material adverse effect on the our financial condition, results of operations and our securities shares may decline in value or be worthless.
PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our ability to inject capital in our Chinese subsidiaries and Chinese subsidiaries’ ability to change their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise expose us or our PRC resident beneficial owners to liability and penalties under PRC laws.
In July 2014, The State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC, or SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities as well as foreign individuals that are deemed as PRC residents for foreign exchange administration purpose) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future.
Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, will be required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its filed registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change, including, among other things, any major change of a PRC resident shareholder, name or term of operation of the SPVs, or any increase or reduction of the SPVs’ registered capital, share transfer or swap, merger or division. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE. If any PRC shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the previously filed registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiary in China. On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound overseas direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE or its branches. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.
We cannot provide assurance that our shareholders that are PRC residents comply with all of the requirements under SAFE Circular 37 or other related rules. Failure or inability of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with the registration procedures set forth in these regulations may subject us to fines and legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, limit the ability of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary in China to distribute dividends and the proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may also be prohibited from injecting additional capital into the subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the various foreign exchange registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for circumventing applicable foreign exchange restrictions. As a result, our business operations and our ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, as these foreign exchange regulations are still relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Though we explicitly exclude any target whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in China.
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections on accounting firms in the PRC without the approval of the Chinese government authorities. The auditor and its audit work in the PRC may not be inspected fully by the PCAOB. Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating the PRC auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures.
Further, future developments in U.S. laws may restrict our ability or willingness to complete certain business combinations with companies. For instance, the recently enacted HFCA Act would restrict our ability to consummate a business combination with a target business unless that business met certain standards of the PCAOB and would require delisting of a company from U.S. national securities exchanges if the PCAOB is unable to inspect its public accounting firm for three consecutive years. The HFCA Act also requires public companies to disclose, among other things, whether they are owned or controlled by a foreign government, specifically, those based in China. We may not be able to consummate a business combination with a favored target business due to these laws. Furthermore, the documentation we may be required to submit to the SEC proving certain beneficial ownership requirements and establishing that we are not owned or controlled by a foreign government in the event that we use a foreign public accounting firm not subject to inspection by the PCAOB or where the PCAOB is unable to completely inspect or investigate our accounting practices or financial statements because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction could be onerous and time consuming to prepare. As a result, we explicitly exclude any target whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States PCAOB is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021 and thus, we may not be able to consummate a business combination with a favored target business due to these laws.
Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“AHFCAA”), which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCA Act and require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years.
On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
The SEC may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. For example, on August 6, 2020, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, or the PWG, issued the Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies to the then President of the United States. This report recommended the SEC implement five recommendations to address companies from jurisdictions that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to fulfill its statutory mandate. Some of the concepts of these recommendations were implemented with the enactment of the HFCA Act. However, some of the recommendations were more stringent than the HFCA Act. For example, if a company was not subject to PCAOB inspection, the report recommended that the transition period before a company would be delisted would end on January 1, 2022.
The SEC has announced that the SEC staff is preparing a consolidated proposal for the rules regarding the implementation of the HFCA Act and to address the recommendations in the PWG report. It is unclear when the SEC will complete its rulemaking and when such rules will become effective and what, if any, of the PWG recommendations will be adopted. The SEC has also announced amendments to various annual report forms to accommodate the certification and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. There could be additional regulatory or legislative requirements or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. The implications of these possible regulations in addition to the requirements of the HFCA Act are uncertain, and such uncertainty could cause the market price of our securities to be materially and adversely affected. If, for whatever reason, the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, the Company could be delisted or prohibited from being traded over the counter earlier than would be required by the HFCA Act. If our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such delisting and prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect the Company’s ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and prospects.
Inspections of audit firms that the PCAOB has conducted have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. If the PCAOB were unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of the Company’s auditor, investors in our securities would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. In addition, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections or full investigations of auditors would may make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in the audit procedures of our auditor and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Additionally, other developments in U.S. laws and regulatory environment, including but not limited to executive orders such as Executive Order (E.O.) 13959, “Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies,” may further restrict our ability to complete a business combination with certain China-based businesses.
Compliance with the PRC Antitrust law may limit our ability to effect our initial business combination.
The PRC Antitrust Law became effective on August 1, 2008. The government authorities in charge of antitrust matters in China are the Antitrust Commission and other antitrust authorities under the State Council. The PRC Antitrust Law regulates (1) monopoly agreements, including decisions or actions in concert that preclude or impede competition, entered into by business operators; (2) abuse of dominant market position by business operators; and (3) concentration of business operators that may have the effect of precluding or impeding competition. To implement the Antitrust Law, in 2008, the State Council formulated the regulations that require filing of concentration of business operators, pursuant to which concentration of business operators refers to (1) merger with other business operators; (2) gaining control over other business operators through acquisition of equity interest or assets of other business operators; and (3) gaining control over other business operators through exerting influence on other business operators through contracts or other means. In 2009, the Ministry of Commerce, to which the Antitrust Commission is affiliated, promulgated the Measures for Filing of Concentration of Business Operators (amended by the Guidelines for Filing of Concentration of Business Operators in 2014), which set forth the criteria of concentration and the requirement of miscellaneous documents for the purpose of filing. The business combination we contemplate may be considered the concentration of business operators, and to the extent required by the Antitrust Law and the criteria established by the State Council, we must file with the antitrust authority under the PRC State Council prior to conducting the contemplated business combination. If the antitrust authority decides not to further investigate whether the contemplated business combination has the effect of precluding or impeding competition or fails to make a decision within 30 days from receipt of relevant materials, we may proceed to consummate the contemplated business combination. If antitrust authority decides to prohibit the contemplated business combination after further investigation, we must terminate such business combination and would then be forced to either attempt to complete a new business combination or we would be required to return any amounts which were held in the trust account to our stockholders. When we evaluate a potential business combination, we will consider the need to comply with the Antitrust Law and other relevant regulations which may limit our ability to effect an acquisition or may result in our modifying or not pursuing a particular transaction. Since our business combination period is 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), and the approval process may take a period longer than we expect before we enter into a definitive agreement with a target company, we may be unable to complete a business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business.
The shareholders of the VIE are referred as its nominee shareholders because although they remain the holders of equity interests on record in the VIE, pursuant to the terms of the relevant power of attorney, such shareholders have irrevocably authorized the individual appointed by the WFOE to exercise their rights as a shareholder of the relevant VIE. If the VIE, or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC laws, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective under PRC laws. For example, if the shareholders of the VIE were to refuse to transfer their equity interest in the VIE to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.
All of the contractual arrangements will be governed by PRC law and provided for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC. Accordingly, these contracts will be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws and any disputes will be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. See “Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.” Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a consolidated VIE should be interpreted or enforced under PRC laws. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC laws, rulings by arbitrators are final and parties cannot appeal arbitration results in court unless such rulings are revoked or determined unenforceable by a competent court. If the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event that we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our consolidated VIE, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.
Exchange controls that exist in the PRC may restrict or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to acquire a target company in PRC and limit our ability to utilize our cash flow effectively following our initial business combination.
SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or Circular 19, effective on June 1, 2015, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142, the Notice from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Exchange Businesses, or Circular 59, and the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign Exchange Businesses, or Circular 45. According to Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third party. Although Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within the PRC, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Thus, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in the PRC in actual practice. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties.
As such, Circular 19 and Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer the proceeds of this offering to a PRC target company and the use of such proceeds by the PRC target company. In addition, following our initial business combination with a PRC target company, we will be subject to the PRC’s rules and regulations on currency conversion. In the PRC, the SAFE regulates the conversion of the Renminbi into foreign currencies. Currently, FIEs are required to apply to the SAFE for “Foreign Exchange Registration Certificates for FIEs.” Following our initial business combination, we will likely be an FIE as a result of our ownership structure. With such registration certificates, which need to be renewed annually, FIEs are allowed to open foreign currency accounts including a “basic account” and “capital account.” Currency conversion within the scope of the “basic account,” such as remittance of foreign currencies for payment of dividends, can be effected without requiring the approval of the SAFE. However, conversion of currency in the “capital account,” including capital items such as direct investment, loans and securities, still require approval of the SAFE.
We cannot assure you the PRC regulatory authorities will not impose further restrictions on the convertibility of the Renminbi. Any future restrictions on currency exchanges may limit our ability to use the proceeds of this offering in an initial business combination with a PRC target company and the use our cash flow for the distribution of dividends to our stockholders or to fund operations we may have outside of the PRC.
Our initial business combination may be subject to national security review by the PRC government and we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities.
On February 3, 2011, the PRC government issued a Notice Concerning the Establishment of Security Review Procedure on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or Security Review Regulations, which became effective on March 5, 2011. The Security Review Regulations cover acquisitions by foreign investors of a broad range of PRC enterprises if such acquisitions could result in de facto control by foreign investors and the enterprises are relating to military, national defense, important agriculture products, important energy and natural resources, important infrastructures, important transportation services, key technologies and important equipment manufacturing. The scope of the review includes whether the acquisition will impact the national security, economic and social stability, and the research and development capabilities on key national security related technologies. Foreign investors should submit a security review application to the Department of Commerce for its initial review for contemplated acquisition. If the acquisition is considered to be within the scope of the Security Review Regulations, the Department of Commerce will transfer the application to a joint security review committee within five business days for further review. The joint security review committee, consisting of members from various PRC government agencies, will conduct a general review and seek comments from relevant government agencies. The joint security review committee may initiate a further special review and request the termination or restructuring of the contemplated acquisition if it determines that the acquisition will result in significant national security issue.
The Security Review Regulations will potentially subject a large number of mergers and acquisitions transactions by foreign investors in China to an additional layer of regulatory review. Currently, there is significant uncertainty as to the implication of the Security Review Regulations. Neither the Department of Commerce nor other PRC government agencies have issued any detailed rules for the implementation of the Security Review Regulations. If, for example, our potential initial business combination is with a target company operating in the PRC in any of the sensitive sectors identified above, the transaction will be subject to the Security Review Regulations, and we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such acquisition. There is no guarantee that we can receive such approval in a timely manner, and we may also be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities if the PRC government considers that the potential investments will result in a significant national security issue. If obtained, since our business combination period is 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), and the approval process may take a period longer than we expect before we enter into a definitive agreement with a target company, we may be unable to complete a business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
Our initial business combination may be subject to a variety of PRC laws and other obligations regarding cybersecurity and data protection and we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities.
Our initial business combination may be subject to PRC laws relating to the collection, use, sharing, retention, security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. These laws continue to develop, and the PRC government may adopt other rules and restrictions in the future. Non-compliance could result in penalties or other significant legal liabilities.
Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC. Due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact scope of “critical information infrastructure operator” remains unclear.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Severe and Lawful Crackdown on Illegal Securities Activities, which was available to the public on July 6, 2021. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. Moreover, the State Internet Information Office issued the Measures of Cybersecurity Review (Revised Draft for Comments, not yet effective) on July 10, 2021, which requires operators with personal information of more than 1 million users who want to list abroad to file a cybersecurity review with the CAC. As these opinions and the draft measurers were recently issued, official guidance and interpretation of these two remain unclear in several respects at this time.
If, for example, our potential initial business combination is with a target business operating in the PRC and if the enacted version of the draft measures mandates clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by the target business, we may face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all, and incur additional time delays to complete any such acquisition. Cybersecurity review could also result in negative publicity with respect to our initial business combination and diversion of our managerial and financial resources. There is no guarantee that we can receive such approval in a timely manner, and we may also be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities if the PRC government considers that the potential investments will result in a significant national security issue. If obtained, since our business combination period is 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), and the approval process may take a period longer than we expect before we enter into a definitive agreement with a target company, we may be unable to complete a business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
In light of recent events indicating greater oversight by the CAC over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list on a foreign exchange, companies with more than one million users’ personal information in China, especially some internet and technology companies, may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. Further, we may also avoid a business combination with a company with more than one million users’ personal information in China due to the limited timeline for us to complete a business combination.
Companies in China are subject to various risks and costs associated with the collection, use, sharing, retention, security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. This data is wide ranging and relates to our investors, employees, contractors and other counterparties and third parties. If we decide to initiate a business combination with a company in China, our compliance obligations include those relating to the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the relevant PRC laws in this regard. These PRC laws apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between a holding company and its subsidiaries. These laws continue to develop, and the PRC government may adopt other rules and restrictions in the future. Non-compliance could result in penalties or other significant legal liabilities.
Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC. Due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact scope of “critical information infrastructure operator” remains unclear. On July 10, 2021, the CAC publicly issued the Measures for Cybersecurity Censorship (Revised Draft for Comments) aiming to, upon its enactment, replace the existing Measures for Cybersecurity Censorship. The draft measures extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews to data processing operators engaging in data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, including listing in a foreign country. The draft measures require a company holding more than one million personal information to submit its IPO materials prepared for submission for cybersecurity review before listing on a foreign exchange.
It is unclear whether the draft measures will apply to a company planning to list on a U.S. stock exchange by business combination with a special purpose acquisition corporation like us. If cybersecurity review applies to our business combination with a company holding more than one million personal information in China, we cannot guarantee that we will receive such approval in a timely manner. Further, due to limited business combination period that we have, we may avoid searching for a target and completing an initial business combination that will be subject to Chinese cybersecurity review. Therefore, we may conduct analysis before we enter into a definitive agreement with a target company to evaluate the risks associated with the review by the CAC and may avoid searching for a company with one million personal information in China or a company operating critical information infrastructure in China.
Furthermore, if we were found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations in China during such review, we could be subject to administrative penalties, such as warnings, fines, or suspension of business combination if we enter into a definitive agreement with a target company. Therefore, cybersecurity review could materially and adversely affect our target search, financial condition, and results of operations. Even if we successfully complete a business combination, CAC may change its rules effective retroactively. As such, it may materially affect the operation of our post-combination entity, and we could be subject to administrative penalties, which could cause the value of our securities worthless.
In addition, the PRC Data Security Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on June 10, 2021 and takes effect on September 1, 2021, requires data collection to be conducted in a legitimate and proper manner, and stipulates that, for the purpose of data protection, data processing activities must be conducted based on data classification and hierarchical protection system for data security. After the Data Security Law takes effect, if our post-combination entity’s data processing activities were found to be not in compliance with this law, our post-combination entity could be ordered to make corrections, and under certain serious circumstances, such as severe data divulgence, we and post-combination entity could be subject to penalties, including the revocation of our business licenses or other permits. As a result, we and post-combination entity may be required to suspend our relevant businesses, shut down our website, take down our operating applications, or face other penalties, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In the event we successfully consummated business combination with a target business with primary operation in PRC, we will be subject to restrictions on dividend payments following consummation of our initial business combination.
After we consummate our initial business combination, we may rely on dividends and other distributions from our operating company to provide us with cash flow and to meet our other obligations. Current regulations in China would permit our operating company in China to pay dividends to us only out of its accumulated distributable profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our operating company in China will be required to set aside at least 10% (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of its registered capital) of its accumulated profits each year. Such cash reserve may not be distributed as cash dividends. In addition, if our operating company in China incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us.
If we make equity compensation grants to persons who are PRC citizens, they may be required to register with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC (“SAFE”). We may also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt equity compensation plans for our directors and employees and other parties under PRC laws.
On April 6, 2007, SAFE issued the “Operating Procedures for Administration of Domestic Individuals Participating in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plan of An Overseas Listed Company, also known as “Circular 78.” It is not clear whether Circular 78 covers all forms of equity compensation plans or only those which provide for the granting of shares options. For any plans which are so covered and are adopted by a non-PRC listed company, such as our company, after April 6, 2007, Circular 78 requires all participants who are PRC citizens to register with and obtain approvals from SAFE prior to their participation in the plan. In addition, Circular 78 also requires PRC citizens to register with SAFE and make the necessary applications and filings if they participated in an overseas listed company’s covered equity compensation plan prior to April 6, 2007. We believe that the registration and approval requirements contemplated in Circular 78 will be burdensome and time consuming.
Upon consummation of business combination with a target business with primary operations in PRC, we may adopt an equity incentive plan and make shares option grants under the plan to our officers, directors and employees, whom may be PRC citizens and be required to register with SAFE. If it is determined that any of our equity compensation plans are subject to Circular 78, failure to comply with such provisions may subject us and participants of our equity incentive plan who are PRC citizens to fines and legal sanctions and prevent us from being able to grant equity compensation to our PRC employees. In that case, our ability to compensate our employees and directors through equity compensation would be hindered and our business operations may be adversely affected.
Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.
The PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of certain taxable assets, including, in particular, equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by a non-resident enterprise by promulgating and implementing SAT Circular 59 and Circular 698, which became effective in January 2008, and a Circular 7 in replacement of some of the existing rules in Circular 698, which became effective in February 2015.
Under Circular 698, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring the equity interests of a PRC “resident enterprise” indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, may be subject to PRC corporate income tax, if the indirect transfer is considered to be an abusive use of company structure without reasonable commercial purposes. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of up to 10%. Circular 698 also provides that, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers its equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise to its related parties at a price lower than the fair market value, the relevant tax authority has the power to make a reasonable adjustment to the taxable income of the transaction.
In February 2015, the SAT issued Circular 7 to replace the rules relating to indirect transfers in Circular 698. Circular 7 has introduced a new tax regime that is significantly different from that under Circular 698. Circular 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to not only indirect transfers set forth under Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets, through the offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, Circular 7 provides clearer criteria than Circular 698 on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. Circular 7 also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of the taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring the taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise being the transferor, or the transferee, or the PRC entity which directly owned the taxable assets may report to the relevant tax authority such indirect transfer. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC corporate income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise.
We face uncertainties on the reporting and consequences on future private equity financing transactions, share exchange or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises. The PRC tax authorities may pursue such non-resident enterprises with respect to a filing or the transferees with respect to withholding obligation, and request our PRC subsidiaries to assist in the filing. As a result, we and non-resident enterprises in such transactions may become at risk of being subject to filing obligations or being taxed, under Circular 59 or Circular 698 and Circular 7, and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 59, Circular 698 and Circular 7 or to establish that we and our non-resident enterprises should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under SAT Circular 59, Circular 698 and Circular 7 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the taxable assets transferred and the cost of investment. Although we currently have no plans to pursue any acquisitions in China or elsewhere in the world, we may pursue acquisitions in the future that may involve complex corporate structures. If we are considered a non-resident enterprise under the PRC corporate income tax law and if the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under SAT Circular 59 or Circular 698 and Circular 7, our income tax costs associated with such potential acquisitions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The Chinese government may exert substantial interventions and influences to our operations at any time. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our post-combination entity to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our shares of Class A ordinary shares significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.
The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our operations and the post-combination entity’s ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to securities, taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese properties.
For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2, 2021, that it had begun an investigation of Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later ordered that the company’s app be removed from smartphone app stores. On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly released the Guidelines for Further Easing the Burden of Excessive Homework and Off-campus Tutoring for Students at the Stage of Compulsory Education, pursuant to which foreign investment in such firms via mergers and acquisitions, franchise development, and variable interest entities are banned from this sector.
As such, our operations and post-combination entity’s business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which they operate at any time. The post-combination entity could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. We and our post-combination entity may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. If the PRC government initiates an investigation into us at any time alleging us violation of cybersecurity laws, anti-monopoly laws, and securities offering rules in China in connection with this offering or future business combination, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to comply with the applicable rules, and our business operations will be affected materially and any such action could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
As the date of this prospectus, there are no PRC laws and regulations (including the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, or any other government entity) in force explicitly requiring that we obtain permission from PRC authorities for this offering or to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction or any regulatory objection to this offering from any relevant PRC authorities. However, it is uncertain when and whether the we and our post-combination entity will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. stock exchanges or enter into VIE Agreements in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our post-combination entity to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.
PRC laws and regulations governing our post-combination entity’s business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain and any changes in such laws and regulations may impair our ability to operate profitably.
There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business and the enforcement and performance of our arrangements with customers in certain circumstances. The laws and regulations are sometimes vague and may be subject to future changes, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. The effectiveness and interpretation of newly enacted laws or regulations, including amendments to existing laws and regulations, may be delayed, and our business may be affected if we rely on laws and regulations which are subsequently adopted or interpreted in a manner different from our understanding of these laws and regulations. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our post-combination entity’s business.
The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and the enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.
In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may affect our judgment on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, the regulatory uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from us.
Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all and may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.
From time to time, our post-combination entity may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection our post-combination entity enjoys than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we and our post-combination entity may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our post-combination entity’s ability to continue its operations.
Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be quick with little advance notice and could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate profitably in the PRC.
Our post-combination entity may conduct most of our operations and most of our revenue is generated in the PRC. Accordingly, economic, political and legal developments in the PRC will significantly affect our post-combination entity’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government can have significant effects on economic conditions in the PRC and the ability of businesses to operate profitably. Our post-combination entity’s ability to operate profitably in the PRC may be adversely affected by changes in policies by the PRC government, including changes in laws, regulations or their interpretation, particularly those dealing with the Internet, including censorship and other restriction on material which can be transmitted over the Internet, security, intellectual property, money laundering, taxation and other laws that affect our post-combination entity’s ability to operate its business.
China Securities Regulatory Commission and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers. If the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval. As a result, both you and us face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a document to crack down on illegal activities in the securities market and promote the high-quality development of the capital market, which, among other things, requires the relevant governmental authorities to strengthen cross-border oversight of law-enforcement and judicial cooperation, to enhance supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, and to establish and improve the system of extraterritorial application of the PRC securities laws. Since this document is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws, regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our future business combination with a company with major operation in China. Therefore, China Securities Regulatory Commission and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers. If the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, a business combination, the issuance of our Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the rights, or maintaining our status as a publicly listed company outside China, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. In any such event, these regulatory agencies may delay a potential business combination, impose fines and penalties, limit our acquisitions and operations of a target business in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our units, Class A ordinary shares and rights. As a result, both you and us face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
If we become directly subject to the recent scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed Chinese companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and resolve the matter which could harm our business operations, this offering and our reputation and could result in a loss of your investment in our ordinary shares, especially if such matter cannot be addressed and resolved favorably.
Recently, U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China, have been subjected to intense scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity has centered around financial and accounting irregularities, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed Chinese companies has sharply decreased in value and, in some cases, has become virtually worthless. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and SEC enforcement actions and are conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations. It is not clear what effect this sector-wide scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity will have on us if we target a PRC company with respect to the initial business combination. If we become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we will have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend the company. This situation may be a major distraction to our management. If such allegations are not proven to be groundless, we will be severely hampered and your investment in our securities could be rendered worthless.
The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission is not required in connection with this offering, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies requires an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals to obtain the approval of the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange.
We believe the CSRC’s approval is not required for the listing and trading of our securities on Nasdaq in the context of this offering, given that we are a Cayman Islands company incorporated as a blank check company for the purpose of effecting our initial business combination or our business combination.
However, we cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. If it is determined that CSRC approval is required for this offering, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies for failure to seek CSRC approval for this offering. These sanctions may include fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limitations on our operating privileges in the PRC, delays in or restrictions on the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into the PRC, restrictions on or prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our PRC subsidiary, or other actions that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities. Furthermore, the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before the settlement and delivery of the securities that we are offering. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to the settlement and delivery of the securities we are offering, you would be doing so at the risk that the settlement and delivery may not occur.
Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.
If our initial business combination target is a PRC company with operations in China, it will be governed by PRC laws and regulations. PRC companies and variable interests entities are generally subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investments in China and, in particular, laws and regulations applicable to wholly foreign-owned enterprises. The PRC legal system is based on statutes. Prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.
Since 1979, PRC legislation and regulations have significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of published decisions and their nonbinding nature, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all) that may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.
PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Any loans to PRC subsidiaries are subject to PRC regulations. For example, loans by us to subsidiaries in China, which are foreign invested entities (“FIEs”), to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Hui Fa [2015] No.19, a notice regulating the conversion by a foreign-invested company of foreign currency into RMB. The foreign exchange capital, for which the monetary contribution has been confirmed by the foreign exchange authorities (or for which the monetary contribution has been registered for account entry) in the capital account of a foreign-invested enterprise may be settled at a bank as required by the enterprise’s actual management needs. Foreign-invested enterprises with investment as their main business (including foreign-oriented companies, foreign-invested venture capital enterprises and foreign-invested equity investment enterprises) are allowed to, under the premise of authenticity and compliance of their domestic investment projects, carry out based on their actual investment scales direct settlement of foreign exchange capital or transfer the RMB funds in the foreign exchange settlement account for pending payment to the invested enterprises’ accounts.
On May 10, 2013, SAFE released Circular 21, which came into effect on May 13, 2013. According to Circular 21, SAFE has simplified the foreign exchange administration procedures with respect to the registration, account openings and conversions, settlements of FDI-related foreign exchange, as well as fund remittances.
Circular 21 may significantly limit our ability to convert, transfer and use the net proceeds from this offering and any offering of additional equity securities in China, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in the PRC.
We may also decide to finance the VIE’s subsidiaries by means of capital contributions. These capital contributions must be approved by MOFCOM or its local counterpart, which usually takes no more than 30 working days to complete. We may not be able to obtain these government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future capital contributions by us to the VIE’s subsidiaries. If we fail to receive such approvals, we will not be able to capitalize our PRC operations, which could adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
General Risk Factors
Unanticipated changes in our effective tax rate or challenges by tax authorities could harm our future results.
We may become subject to income taxes in various other jurisdictions in the future. Our effective tax rate could be adversely affected by changes in the allocation of our pre-tax earnings and losses among countries with differing statutory tax rates, in certain non-deductible expenses as a result of acquisitions, in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, or in federal, state, local or non-U.S. tax laws and accounting principles, including increased tax rates, new tax laws or revised interpretations of existing tax laws and precedents. Increases in our effective tax rate would adversely affect our operating results. In addition, we may be subject to income tax audits by various tax jurisdictions throughout the world. The application of tax laws in such jurisdictions may be subject to diverging and sometimes conflicting interpretations by tax authorities in these jurisdictions. Although we believe our income tax liabilities are reasonably estimated and accounted for in accordance with applicable laws and principles, an adverse resolution of one or more uncertain tax positions in any period could have a material impact on the results of operations for that period.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the U.S. courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary share 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of that year’s second fiscal quarter. 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.
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 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 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 of 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 a 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 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. 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. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify (A) the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as 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 a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, our warrants and rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
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, 2021. 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 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 acquisition.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of 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 may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders 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. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors, including in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and holders of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
| ● | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| ● | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
| ● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential acquisition opportunities; |
| ● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| ● | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| ● | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
| ● | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or |
| ● | our financial performance following this offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 7,500,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private shares will be used as set forth in the following table.
| | Without Over- Allotment Option | | | Over- Allotment Option Fully Exercised | |
Gross proceeds | | | | | | |
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | | $ | 75,000,000 | | | $ | 86,250,000 | |
Gross proceeds from private shares offered in the private placement | | | 3,200,000 | | | | 3,425,000 | |
Total gross proceeds | | $ | 78,200,000 | | | $ | 89,675,000 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Offering expenses(2) | | | | | | | | |
Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from units offered to public) | | $ | 1,500,000 | | | $ | 1,725,000 | |
Legal fees and expenses | | | 300,000 | | | | 300,000 | |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | 75,000 | | | | 75,000 | |
SEC registration fee | | | 9,625 | | | | 9,625 | |
FINRA filing fee | | | 14,732 | | | | 14,732 | |
Nasdaq listing and filing fees | | | 50,000 | | | | 50,000 | |
Director and Officer liability insurance premiums | | | 400,000 | | | | 400,000 | |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | 35,000 | | | | 35,000 | |
Miscellaneous | | | 165,643 | | | | 165,643 | |
Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions) | | $ | 1,050,000 | | | $ | 1,050,000 | |
Proceeds after offering expenses | | $ | 75,650,000 | | | $ | 86,900,000 | |
Held in trust account(3) | | $ | 75,000,000 | | | $ | 86,250,000 | |
% of public offering size | | | 100 | % | | | 100 | % |
Not held in trust account | | $ | 650,000 | | | $ | 650,000 | |
The following table shows the use of the approximately $650,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account:
| | Amount | | | % of Total | |
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(5) | | $ | 400,000 | | | | 61.54 | % |
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | | | 100,000 | | | | 15.38 | % |
Working capital and miscellaneous expenses | | | 150,000 | | | | 23.08 | % |
Total | | $ | 650,000 | | | | 100.0 | % |
(1) | Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
(2) | A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of a loan from our sponsor and/or its affiliates of up to $500,000 as described in this prospectus. This amount will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $2,550,000 (or $2,775,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
(3) Upon completion of our initial business combination, $2,625,000 (or $3,018,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting commissions.
(4) These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses.
(5) Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing.
We may increase or decrease the total number of units sold to the public in this offering. If we decide to proceed with an offering that results in an increase in the total number of units sold to the public, we would have additional proceeds from the offering available to pursue an acquisition. If we proceed with an offering that results in a decrease in the total number of units sold to the public, we would have reduced proceeds from the offering available to pursue an acquisition. Such an increase or decrease may impact the size of the initial business combination we may pursue. In addition, the proceeds held in trust would correspondingly increase or decrease such that 100% of the gross proceeds from this offering will be held in trust. The underwriter’s option to purchase additional units to cover over-allotments and the amount of private shares that our sponsor will purchase would correspondingly increase or decrease. We would issue additional Class B ordinary shares in the event we increase the total number of units sold in this offering exceeding the total number of units after the full over-allotment and the holders of our Class B ordinary shares would forfeit Class B ordinary shares in the event we decrease the total number of units sold in this offering so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering).
The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, $75,000,000 (or $86,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $2,625,000 (or $3,018,750) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) for deferred underwriting commissions, will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account with Wilmington Trust, National Association, acting as trustee, and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $37,500 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.05% per year; however, we can provide no assurance regarding this amount. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares that are deposited in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), subject to applicable law.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt instruments, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other assets, companies or for working capital.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our founders or their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our founders or an affiliate of our founders may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required and/or fund our extension if we need additional time to complete a business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into working capital shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The working capital shares would be identical to the private shares sold in the private placement. The terms of such loans by our founders or their affiliates, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our founders or their affiliates 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, but in the event that we seek loans from any third party, we will obtain a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our founders or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our founders or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of Nasdaq. 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 non-public 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.
We will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
A public shareholder 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 public shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify (A) the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months following the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), subject to applicable law and as further described herein and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our founders 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 shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. In addition, our founders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our founders or their affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, 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 prescribed time frame. Permitted transferees of the founder shares and private shares held by our founders would be subject to the same restrictions applicable to our founders, respectively.
DIVIDEND POLICY
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends 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 Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
DILUTION
The difference between the public offering price per Class A ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private shares, and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private shares, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary share which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
As of September 30, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $213,020 or approximately $(0.1) per Class B ordinary shares. After giving effect to the sale of 7,500,000 Class A ordinary shares and rights included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private shares and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book (deficit) at September 30, 2021 would have been $(1,954,273), or approximately $(0.66), per share (or $(2,348,023) or $(0.70) per share if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of $7,500,000, ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $0.56 per share (or $86,250,000 or $0.60 per share if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) to our founders as of the closing of this offering and an immediate dilution of $9.75 per share or 107.26% to our public shareholders. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.79 per share or 107.70%.
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units:
| | Without Over- Allotment | | | With Over- Allotment | |
Public offering price | | $ | 9.09 | | | $ | 9.09 | |
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | | | (0.10 | ) | | | (0.10 | ) |
Increase attributable to public shareholders | | | (0.56 | ) | | | (0.60 | ) |
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private shares | | | (0.66 | ) | | | (0.70 | ) |
Dilution to public shareholders | | $ | 9.75 | | | $ | 9.79 | |
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | | | 107.26 | % | | | 107.70 | % |
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $75,000,000 because holders of up to approximately 100.00% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or shareholders meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes), divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering.
The following table sets forth information with respect to our founders and the public shareholders:
| | Shares Purchased | | | Total Consideration | | | Average Price | |
| | Number | | | Percentage | | | Amount | | | Percentage | | | Per Share | |
Founders(1) | | | 1,875,000 | | | | 17.95 | % | | $ | 25,000 | | | | 0.03 | % | | $ | 0.013 | |
Private Shareholders | | | 320,000 | | | | 3.06 | % | | | 3,200,000 | | | | 4.09 | % | | | 10.00 | |
Public Shareholders | | | 8,250,000 | | | | 78.99 | % | | | 75,000,000 | | | | 95.88 | % | | $ | 9.09 | |
| | | 10,445,000 | | | | 100.00 | % | | $ | 78,225,000 | | | | 100.00 | % | | | | |
(1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of an aggregate of 281,250 Class B ordinary shares held by our founders. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
| | Without Over- allotment | | | With Over- allotment | |
Numerator: | | | | | | | | |
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | | $ | (213,020 | ) | | $ | (213,020 | ) |
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private shares | | | 75,650,000 | | | | 86,900,000 | |
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | | | 233,747 | | | | 233,747 | |
Less: Deferred Underwriting Commissions | | | (2,625,000 | ) | | | (3,018,750 | ) |
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption | | | (75,000,000 | ) | | | (86,250,000 | ) |
| | $ | (1,954,273 | ) | | $ | (2,438,023 | ) |
Denominator: | | | | | | | | |
Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | | | 2,156,250 | | | | 2,156,250 | |
Class B ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | | | (281,250 | ) | | | — | |
Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered in this offering | | | 7,500,000 | | | | 8,625,000 | |
Class A ordinary shares underlying the rights to be included in the public units | | | 750,000 | | | | 862,500 | |
Class A ordinary shares issued in the private placement | | | 320,000 | | | | 342,500 | |
Less: Shares subject to possible conversion | | | (7,500,000 | ) | | | (8,625,000 | ) |
| | | 2,945,000 | | | | 3,361,250 | |
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2021 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units and the private shares and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
| | September 30, 2021 | |
| | Actual | | | As Adjusted(1) | |
Promissory note to related party(2) | | $ | 213,020 | | | $ | — | |
Deferred Underwriting Commissions | | | — | | | | 2,625,000 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, 7,500,000 shares subject to possible conversion/tender(3) | | | — | | | | 75,000,000 | |
Preference share, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted | | | — | | | | — | |
Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 320,000 shares issued and outstanding (excludes up to 0 and 7,500,000 shares subject to possible conversion/tender), actual and as adjusted, respectively(4) | | | — | | | | 32 | |
Class B ordinary share, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 2,156,250 and 1,875,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively | | | 216 | | | | 188 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 24,784 | | | | - | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (4,273 | ) | | | (1,954,493 | ) |
Total shareholders’ equity | | $ | 20,727 | | | $ | (1,954,273 | ) |
Total capitalization | | $ | 233,747 | | | $ | 75,670,727 | |
(1) | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and the resulting forfeiture of 281,250 founder shares held by our founders has occurred. |
(2) | Our sponsor and/or its affiliates has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of September 30, 2021, we had borrowed $213,020 under the promissory note with our founders. |
(3) | All of the 7,500,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with our liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with SEC and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the 7,500,000 shares of Class A ordinary share sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. Our ordinary shares is subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, we have the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement will be treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). |
(4) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions directly or indirectly, with respect to identifying any business combination target. While our efforts to identify a target business for such initial business combination may span many industries and regions worldwide, we intend to focus our search for a target business on companies within technology-enabled financial sectors, including but not limited to, blockchain infrastructure, software services, and non-fungible token. We intend to complete our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placements of the private shares, our share capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares in a business combination:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of our ordinary shares if preferred shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| ● | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and/or rights. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or owners of a target, it could result in:
| ● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| ● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| ● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
| ● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| ● | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares 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 purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
As indicated in the accompanying unaudited financial statements, at September 30, 2021, we had no cash and deferred offering costs of $213,020. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through a capital contribution from our founders of $25,000 and a loan to us of up to $500,000 by our sponsor, under an unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $1,050,000, underwriting commissions of $1,500,000 ($1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), and (ii) the sale of the private shares for a purchase price of $3,200,000 (or $3,425,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $75,650,000 (or $86,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $75,000,000 (or $86,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $2,625,000 (or $3,018,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) for the underwriters’ deferred underwriting compensation. The remaining approximately $650,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,050,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,050,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less amounts released to us for taxes payable, working capital purposes and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the interest income earned on the amount in the trust account (if any) will be sufficient to pay our taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $650,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds 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 fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our founders or an affiliate of our founders may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required and/or fund our extensions if we need additional time to complete a business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into working capital shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The working capital shares would be identical to the private shares, subject to similar limited restrictions as compared to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering. The terms of such loans by our founders or their affiliates, 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 founders or an affiliate of our founders 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, but in the event that we seek loans from any third parties, we will obtain a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $400,000 in legal, accounting, due diligence and other fees in connection with the business combination; $100,000 in legal and accounting related to regulatory reporting obligations; and $150,000 in working capital and miscellaneous expenses.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
As indicated in the accompanying unaudited financial statements, at September 30, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $213,020. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) or (y) amend the foregoing provisions, unless (in connection with any such amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) we offer our public shareholders the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
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. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| ● | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| ● | reconciliation of accounts; |
| ● | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| ● | evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
| ● | documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
| ● | documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related Party Transactions
On April 16, 2021, our sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 founder shares. On November 8, 2021, we effectuated a capitalization of shares in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so our sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 founder shares at no additional consideration. As a result, our sponsor acquired 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. 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 this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering). The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a capitalization issue or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary share immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering) upon the consummation of this offering.
Our founders and advisors, 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 will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our founders, advisors 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.
Our April 16, 2021, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of (1) December 31, 2021 and (2) the consummation of the business combination.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our founders or an affiliate of our founders may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required and/or fund our extensions if we need additional time to complete a business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into working capital shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. Such working capital shares would be identical to the private shares sold in the private placement. The terms of such loans by our founders or their affiliates, 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 founders or an affiliate of our founders 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, but in the event that we seek loans from any third parties, we will obtain a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 320,000 private shares (or 342,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per share (approximately $3,200,000 in the aggregate or $3,425,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private share is identical to Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering with certain limited exceptions. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private shares held by them to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to it or them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as the founders.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our founders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. Our founders and holders of private shares issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of September 30, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus, as we have conducted no operations to date.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
PROPOSED BUSINESS
Business Strategy and Acquisition Criteria
Our strategy will be to identify, acquire, and initiate business combination with the mindset and goal to build and grow companies from various industries. We will seek potential targets in which we believe can materially grow revenue and earnings through the efforts of a combined management team follow by a completion of initial business combination.
We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive business combination opportunities with a compelling industry backdrop and an opportunity for transformational growth. Our founders’ objectives are to generate attractive returns for shareholders and enhance value through improving operational performance of the acquired company. We expect to favor opportunities with certain industry and business characteristics. Key industry characteristics include compelling long-term growth, attractive competitive dynamics, consolidation opportunities and low risk of technological obsolescence. Key business characteristics include high barriers to entry, significant streams of recurring revenue, opportunity for operational improvement, attractive steady-state margins, high incremental margins and attractive free cash flow characteristics.
In consistent with our business strategies and objectives, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are helpful in evaluating prospective targets companies for acquisition or business combination, which we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we see justification to do so.
| ● | Strong management Team. We will seek to acquire those businesses with reasoned and strong managements having a track record of driving growth and profitability; or having proposition of the businesses that may likely be well received by public investors. |
| ● | Growth Potential. We will be looking for businesses that we believe present the potential for revenue and earnings growth through a combination of business, management and resources. We will also consider businesses with potential to generate stable and increasing free cash flow. We may also seek to prudently leverage this cash flow in order to enhance shareholder value. |
| ● | Companies with Potential for Strong Free Cash Flow Generation. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential to generate strong, stable and increasing free cash flow. We intend to focus on one or more businesses that have predictable revenue streams and definable low working capital and capital expenditure requirements. We may also seek to prudently leverage this cash flow in order to enhance shareholder value. |
| ● | Benefit from being a public company. We intend to only acquire a business or businesses that will benefit from being publicly traded and which can effectively utilize access to broader sources of capital and a public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company. |
This list of criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Our management team will evaluate and value potential target company on a case-by-case basis. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination or acquisition may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination or acquisition with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guideline in our shareholder communications, which as discussed in this prospectus would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination twice by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Wilmington Trust, National Association on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $750,000, or $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,500,000 or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. The sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private shares at a price of $10.00 per share.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period which is 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if extended), we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the warrants and rights will be worthless.
Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions payable to our underwriters and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion, nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares released to us from the trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may use the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
In addition, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination to be used following the closing for general corporate purposes as described above. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of 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. None of our founders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (y) amend the foregoing provisions, unless (in connection with any such amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) we offer our public shareholders the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Our Acquisition Process
We will utilize the diligence, rigor, and expertise of our managements’ respective platforms to evaluate potential targets’ strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to identify the relative risk and return profile of any potential target for our initial business combination.
We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have not individually selected a target business. Our management team is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities including other special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our management team is continuously made aware of potential investment opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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.
Our officers may become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, even before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus).
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for ordinary shares or for a combination of ordinary shares 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 certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed 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. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary share that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, 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.
Financial Position
With funds in the trust account available for a business combination initially in the amount of $72,375,000, after payment of $2,625,000 for deferred underwriting commissions (or $83,231,250 after payment of $3,018,750 for deferred underwriting commissions if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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 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.
Furthermore, our securities may be prohibited to trade on a national exchange under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our auditor or the auditor of the target company of our initial business combination for three consecutive years beginning in 2021. Our auditor is currently subject to PCAOB inspections, and PCAOB is able to inspect our auditor. In order to minimize or avoid such risk, we will explicitly exclude any target company whose financial statements have been audited by an accounting firm that is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021.
The governing PRC laws and regulations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, the vagueness and uncertainties may result in a material change in the post-business combination company’s operations, cause the value of our shares after we complete our business combination to significantly decline or be worthless, or substantially limit or completely hinder the post-combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. For instance, the PRC government recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using the VIE structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. However, since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon Chinese legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws, regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our capability to acquire or merge with a company with major operations in China, as well as the post-business combination company’s ability to conduct its business, accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. stock exchange, and therefore, it could result in a material change in the target company’s post-combinations operations, significant depreciation of the value of our Class A ordinary shares, or a complete hindrance of our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities to investors.
Risks Associated with Us Being Based in China
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. As of the date of this prospectus, we are solely held by our sponsor Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, managed by Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin, the Chief Executive Officer and a Canadian citizen. Upon the consummation of this offering (without over-allotment), our management and sponsor will collectively own 22.64% of equity interest and public shareholders including U.S. investors and foreign investors will collectively own 77.36% of equity interest of us.
A majority of our management and our headquarter are located in China, we are subject to legal and operational risks associated with being based in China. Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions, as well as possible interventions and influences of any government policies and actions; as well as uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could have a material adverse effect on our operation and the value of our securities. For instance, (i) as the date of prospectus, we are not required to obtain any permission from China authorities nor received any objection or restriction from Chinese authorities to list our securities in U.S. exchanges, however, we cannot guarantee that PRC authorities may initiate any change in its law, rules or regulations, or governmental policies that would require permission or scrutiny from relevant PRC authorities before our listing; or any law, regulation, rules and policies will become effective and enforceable after our listing that could substantially affect our operation and the value of our securities may depreciate quickly even become worthless. See “Summary— Permission Required from the PRC Authorities for this Offering and Potential Business Combination with a Business in China” on page 7; (ii) after consummation of this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, our operation involves searching and identifying suitable targets, conducting due diligence on targets, negotiating and consummating our initial business combination. Though we are not restricted or prohibited from such business activities in China, we are subject to risks and uncertainties about future actions of the PRC government or law enforcement to refrain our activities or operation in China, which would likely result in a material change in our operations, and the value of our securities may depreciate significantly or become worthless. See “Risk Factors—The Chinese government may exert substantial interventions and influences to our operations at any time. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our post-combination entity to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our shares of Class A ordinary shares significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.” on page 71 and “Risk Factors—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.” on page 74; and (iii) after consummation of our initial business combination, if we undertake a business combination with a target having major operations in China or consolidates its financial statements with a VIE through a VIE structure, we would inherit the legal and operational risks for businesses in China. See “Summary— Risks Associated with Us Being Based in China” on page 9, and “Risk Factors—Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China” on page 60.
Permission Required from the PRC Authorities for this Offering and Potential Business Combination with a Business in China
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. As of the date of this prospectus, we are solely held by our sponsor Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, managed by Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin, the Chief Executive Officer and a Canadian citizen. Upon the consummation of this offering (without over-allotment), our management and sponsor will collectively own 22.64% of equity interest and public shareholders including U.S. investors and foreign investors will collectively own 77.26% of equity interest of us.
As the date of this prospectus, there are no PRC laws and regulations (including the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, or any other government entity) in force explicitly requiring that we obtain permission from PRC authorities for this offering or to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction or any regulatory objection to this offering from any relevant PRC authorities.
We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Because our management team, primarily based China, has network in China and our principal office and sponsor are located in China, we may pursue a business combination with a company doing business in China, which may have legal and operational risks associated with it.
Specifically, the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, (the “M&A Rules”), adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, among other things, purport to require an offshore special purpose vehicle controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals, and formed for purposes of an overseas listing through acquisition of PRC domestic interests held by such PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures regarding its approval mechanism for overseas listings by special purpose vehicles. However, to date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a PRC entity as part of the Business Combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. At this time, a prior approval from the CSRC is not required for the Business Combination because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation on this point. However, uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules could be interpreted or implemented in the future, and the opinion stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law (the “Opinions”), which call for strengthened regulation over illegal securities activities and supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies and propose to take effective measures, such as promoting the development of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies.
While the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear, no official guidance and related implementation rules have been issued in relation to the Opinions, and the interpretation and implementation of the Opinions also remain unclear at this stage, based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the M&A Rules or the Opinions from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company. However, there can be no assurance that the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as us, or that the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities would not promulgate new rules or new interpretation of current rules to require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering or for the business combination if we decide to consummate the business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — The PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China.”
Additionally, the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment) issued by the CAC on July 10, 2021 further restates and expands the applicable scope of relevant cybersecurity review procedures in China. Although the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment) currently exist only in draft form (and are therefore not yet legally binding), if ultimately adopted in their current form, then any operator who applies to list its securities overseas must apply to the Cybersecurity Review Office for a cybersecurity review if it is in possession of the personal information of more than 1,000,000 users. If our PRC-based target business is in possession of the personal information of more than 1,000,000 users, our PRC-based target business would be required to conduct the cybersecurity review. In accordance with the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment), the specific times and numbers of cybersecurity reviews is not specified. If our PRC-based target business is determined by PRC regulatory authorities to have data security risks, the relevant regulatory authority may have the right to stop the indirect listing of our PRC-based target business’s securities through the consummation of the Business Combination, or (should the consummation of the Business Combination already have occurred) even request for withdrawal Pubco’s Nasdaq listing application or delisting of Pubco. In accordance with the Measures for Cybersecurity Reviews (Revision Draft for Comment), the exact manner of intervention is not specified. Per the PRC Data Security Law issued by Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in June 2021, effective as of September 1, 2021, the cybersecurity review decision would be final and we would not have the ability to appeal.
Contractual Arrangements and Corporate Structure for a PRC-based Target Business
If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China utilizing a VIE structure due to restrictions imposed by PRC laws and regulations on foreign investment in certain industries, the combined company may be a company incorporated in jurisdictions other than the PRC, such as the Cayman Islands, and may conduct substantially all of its business operations in the PRC through its PRC subsidiaries and VIEs, while the combined company will not hold any direct equity interests in the VIEs. The combined company’s PRC subsidiaries will control the VIEs through a series of contractual arrangements with the VIEs, as well as their founders and owners. Under such structure, the VIEs may hold key operating licenses, provide services to customers, and enter into contracts with suppliers and employ workforce. These contractual arrangements with the VIEs are put into place as a mechanism for the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries to (i) exercise control over its VIEs, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of the VIEs, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in the VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. These contractual arrangements often include exclusive technology and consulting service agreements, equity interest pledge agreements, exclusive option agreements and powers of attorney. As a result of these contractual arrangements, the combined company will exert control over, and will be considered the primary beneficiary of its VIEs and is able to consolidate such VIEs’ operating results in its financial statements under the U.S. GAAP. Under such corporate structure, the combined company whose securities will be listed on a U.S. stock exchange after the business combination will not hold any direct equity interests in its VIEs. If such structure is utilized by the combined company, the investors of the combined company will not be holding equity interest of the operating business in China. As a result, the control through these contractual arrangements may be less effective than direct ownership, and the combined company could face heightened risks and costs in enforcing these contractual arrangements, because there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations, and rules relating to the legality and enforceability of these contractual arrangements. If the PRC government finds such agreements to be illegal, the PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs of the combined company could be subject to severe penalties or the combined company could be forced to relinquish its interests in the VIEs. Under such circumstances, the value of the combined company’s securities may significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in China — We may initiate a business combination with a company with operations in China by entering into VIE Agreements. If PRC governments or courts find that the VIE Agreements do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations or we could be unbale to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the post-combination target company, which could cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares depreciate significantly or become worthless.” and “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — If the government of the PRC finds that the agreements we entered into to acquire control of a target business through contractual arrangements with one or more operating businesses do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.”
Implication of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act states that if the SEC determines that an issuer’s audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm have not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit such issuer’s securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, auditors of the combined company and their workpapers may be located in China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities. Therefore, the combined company’s securities may be delisted from a national securities exchange in the U.S pursuant to the HFCA Act.
Furthermore, our securities may be prohibited to trade on a national exchange under the HFCA Act if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our auditor or the auditor of the target company of our initial business combination for three consecutive years beginning in 2021. Our auditor is currently subject to PCAOB inspections, and PCAOB is able to inspect our auditor. In order to minimize or avoid such risk, we will explicitly exclude any target company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021. Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“AHFCAA”), which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCA Act and require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years.
On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
Other developments in U.S. laws and regulatory environment, including but not limited to executive orders such as Executive Order (E.O.) 13959, “Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies,” may further restrict our ability to complete a business combination with certain China-based businesses.
For more detailed information, See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in China — Though we explicitly exclude any target whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is unable to inspect for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in China.”
Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in China (Post-Business Combination)
Jade Value Acquisition Corporation is a blank check company with no operations of its own and no subsidiaries except searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. Although we do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction, our initial business combination target company may include a PRC based company and to the extent that Chinese law prohibits direct foreign investment in the operating company, such business combination may require a VIE structure. As such, we may be required to conduct our operations in China primarily through our subsidiary or the VIE in China. As a result, although other means are available for us to obtain financing at the holding company level, the post-combination’s ability to pay dividends to its shareholders and to service any debt it may incur may depend upon dividends paid by our subsidiaries or the VIE. If any of our subsidiaries or the VIE incurs debt on its own in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to Jade Value Acquisition Corporation. Under the VIE structure, the post-combination entity will highly rely on the VIE Agreements between it and the VIE to distribute earnings and settle amounts owed under the VIE agreements. Under the VIE Agreements, in addition to funds to be generated by the VIE’s operations in China, the VIE’s operations can be financed by loans from the WFOE. Funds from the VIE to our public holding entity will be made as service fees to the WFOE pursuant to the VIE Agreements, and the subsidiaries in turn makes distributions or pay dividends to our post-combination entity. Under the VIE structure, we must rely on the shareholders of the VIE to comply with its contractual obligations under the VIE Agreements to pay the funds to the WFOE and then the WFOE, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the public holding entity, distribute funds to us. We cannot guarantee the PRC governments will allow such arrangement either. In addition, our post-combination organization’s subsidiaries and the VIE are required to make appropriations to certain statutory reserve funds, which are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of a solvent liquidation of the companies.
Investment in Chinese companies, which are governed by the Foreign Investment Law, and the dividends and distributions from a China-based operating company are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China are subject to restrictions. The PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. Therefore, we may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from our subsidiaries or the VIE’s profits, if any. Under the VIE structure, current PRC regulations permit a VIE to pay dividends to its holding company only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. For example, current PRC regulations permit VIE’s PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to an overseas subsidiary of our post-combination entity, only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. If we or the post-combination entity are unable to receive all of the revenues from their operations through the VIE Agreements, we may be unable to pay dividends on our ordinary shares.
In addition, each of the VIE’s subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Each of such entity in China is also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation.
Furthermore, if we complete a business combination with a company in China through VIE Agreements and we are unable to receive all of the revenues from our operations through the current VIE Agreements, we may be unable to pay dividends on our ordinary shares. Cash dividends, if any, on our Class A ordinary shares will be paid in U.S. dollars. As a result, although other means are available for us to obtain financing at the holding company level, our ability to pay dividends to its shareholders and to service any debt it may incur may depend upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries and license and service fees paid by our PRC consolidated affiliated entities. If any of our subsidiaries incurs debt on its own in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to us. Current PRC regulations permit a VIE to pay dividends to its holding company only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our post-combination entity’s subsidiaries in China may be required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. In order for us to pay dividends to our shareholders, we will rely on payments made from our post-combination subsidiaries, either directly controlled by us or indirectly controlled by us through VIE Agreements.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at Floor 18, Lianluo Plaza, Wangjing Street #10, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, and our telephone number is +86 13911535799.
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 this offering. We intend to complete our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private shares, our shares, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. 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 instruments, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, 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 assets, 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, and we may complete our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise. None of our founders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus),or (y) amend the foregoing provisions, unless (in connection with any such amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) we offer our public shareholders the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
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 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.
Ability to Extend Time to Complete Business Combination
If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination twice by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Wilmington Trust, National Association on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $750,000, or $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,500,000 or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. The sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private shares at a price of $10.00 per share. Our shareholders have approved the issuance of the private shares upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such shares at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. In the event that we receive notice from our founders five days prior to the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our founders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Any notes issued pursuant to these loans would be in addition to any notes issued pursuant to working capital loans made to us.
Additionally our public shareholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions.
Sources of Target Businesses
We expect to receive a number of proprietary transaction opportunities to originate as a result of the business relationships, direct outreach, and deal sourcing activities of our management team. In addition to the proprietary deal flow, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms, private equity groups, large business enterprises, and other market participants. 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 this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our founders, as well as 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. Some of our officers or 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 acquisition candidate. In no event 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, advisory fee or other compensation 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) although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. We have agreed to reimburse our founders for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our founders or advisors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our officers, directors or advisors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our founders or advisors, 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 this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a 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.
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 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 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 or of our board, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our business combination, it is presently unknown if any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our 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. The determination as to whether any members of our board of directors will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, to the extent that we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder 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 shareholder approval is currently required under Cayman Islands law for each such transaction.
Type of Transaction | | Whether Shareholder 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, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| ● | we issue Class A ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our ordinary shares then issued and outstanding; |
| ● | any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (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 ordinary shares could result in an increase in outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 5% or more; or |
| ● | the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholders’ approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: (i) the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; (ii) the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; (iii) the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; (iv) other time and budget constraints of the company; and (v) additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders.
Permitted Purchases of our Securities
In the event we seek shareholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our founders or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. 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 in such transactions. They will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our founders or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. 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.
The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our ordinary shares 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 founders or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our founders, advisors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our founders or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business combination. Our founders 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 founders 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) of, and Rule 10b-5 under, 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 founders or their affiliates will not make purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) of, or Rule 10b-5 under, the Exchange Act.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares 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 taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our founders 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 shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our business combination. However, if our founders or their affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, 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 prescribed time frame. Permitted transferees of the founder shares and private shares held by our founders would be subject to the same restrictions applicable to our founders, respectively.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder 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 shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
| ● | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under 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 under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our business combination, we or our founders will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares 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 that we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our founders, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of 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 shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
| ● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
| ● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the 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 issued and outstanding shares of in the share capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our founders will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares 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 founders’ founder shares and private shares, we would need 2,652,501, or 35.37%, of the 7,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). 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 quorums and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our founders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote, do not vote or abstain, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, and irrespective of whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of 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 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 business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of Initial Business Combination if we Seek Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination.
Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public shareholders 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 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder 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 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 shareholders 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 $100.00 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 shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the 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 shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the shareholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the 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 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 shareholder 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 business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus).
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if extended) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our business combination within such 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 taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants and rights, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the 18-month time period. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination twice by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Wilmington Trust, National Association on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three months extension, $750,000, or $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,500,000 or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. The sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private shares at a price of $10.00 per share. Our shareholders have approved the issuance of the private shares upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such shares at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. In the event that we receive notice from our founders five days prior to the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our founders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Any notes issued pursuant to these loans would be in addition to any notes issued pursuant to working capital loans made to us. Nevertheless, our public shareholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions.
Our founders have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus). However, if our founders acquire public shares in or after this offering, 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 18-month time period.
Our founders have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us (filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part), that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (ii) with respect to any other material provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of 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.
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 $650,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $50,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, 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 shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00.
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 and claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will 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 or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 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, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering 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, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims We have not 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. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers 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) $10.00 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 $10.00 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 this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $500,000 from the proceeds of this offering with which to pay any such potential claims. In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,050,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,050,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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 shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders 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 shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus),
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete our Business Combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus).
| | Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by us or our Affiliates | | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination |
Calculation of redemption price | | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our founders, or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our founders or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. | | If we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. |
| | Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by us or our Affiliates | | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination |
Impact to remaining shareholders | | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of deferred underwriting commissions, working capital and taxes payable released to us. | | If the permitted purchases described above are made there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions. |
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
Escrow of offering proceeds | | $75,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Wilmington Trust, National Association, acting as trustee. | | Approximately $66,060,000 of the offering proceeds would be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. |
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Investment of net proceeds | | $75,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private shares held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. |
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable; (ii) amounts released for working capital, and (iii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $50,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. |
| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | | Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and interest income earned on the trust account released to us to pay taxes or for working capital purposes) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. | | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. |
Trading of securities issued | | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless the representatives inform us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, an additional Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. | | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
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Exercise of the warrants | | The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering. | | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. |
| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
Election to remain an investor | | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all issued and outstanding shares in the share capital of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. | | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. |
Business combination deadline | | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), 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 | | If an acquisition has not been completed within 12 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
Release of funds | | Thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes or for working capital purposes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. |
| | Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares that are deposited and held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until 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 shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (b) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of 100% of our public shares if we are unable to complete a business combination within the required time frame (subject to the requirements of applicable law). | | |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our 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 acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess 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 acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at Floor 18, Lianluo Plaza, Wangjing Street #10, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China.
Employees
We currently have three executive officers including Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin, the Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Yang (Shayla) Sun, the President, and Mr. Zhiyong (Ben) Li, the Chief Financial Officer. 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 will register our units, Class A ordinary shares, warrants 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 shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to shareholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 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 comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our business combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have received, a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
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.
MANAGEMENT
Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
Name | | Age | | Position |
Bin (Brian) Lin | | 56 | | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board |
Yang (Shayla) Sun | | 37 | | President and Director |
Zhiyong (Ben) Li | | 38 | | Chief Financial Officer |
Hongfei Tian | | 46 | | Independent Director Nominee |
Jian Liu | | 49 | | Independent Director Nominee |
Xiaolin Zhong | | 56 | | Independent Director Nominee |
Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin has served as our Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the board after the inception of the Company. Mr. Lin has been the Chairman of Beijing Huitu Technology Co., Ltd., which develops and sells water resources application software and products since December 2013. From August 2020 to May 2021, Mr. Lin served as the chairman and CEO of Lianluo Smart Ltd, Inc. (Nasdaq: LLIT), a company engaged in the medical device business. During his term at LLIT, Mr. Lin led the merger of the company with Newegg Inc., in May 2021 resulting a US$4 billion company post-merger (Nasdaq: NEGG). From January 2006 to March 2013, Mr. Lin was the Chief Executive Officer of China Fire & Security Group, Inc. (Formerly Nasdaq: CFSG), which engaged in design, development, manufacture and sale of a variety of fire safety products for the industrial and special purpose infrastructure industries and the design and installation of industrial fire safety systems. From January 2000 to December 2005, he was the general manager of Beijing Linkhead Technology Co., Ltd., which engaged in design and sales of telecommunications products. Mr. Lin started his career with Nortel Networks Corporation in Canada in 1989 and held various technical and management positions in Nortel Canada, Motoral, and Compaq Computer in the U.S. from 1989 through 2000. Mr. Lin received a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Toronto in 1989 and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
We believe Mr. Lin’s extensive experience in business and managing public companies make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Ms. Yang (Shayla) Sun has served as our President and director after the inception of the Company. Since June 2018, Ms. Sun has served as the co-founder and managing director of First Winners Financial Services, a Hong Kong based financial advisory firm focusing on equity market. From September 2015 to May 2018, Ms. Sun served as the venture partner of Galaxy Internet Company Limited, a technology startups incubator and investment firm. From July 2011 to July 2015, Ms. Sun was the vice president of Wowo Limited (Nasdaq: WOWO), changing name to Mercurity Fintech Holding (Nasdaq: MFH), a Chinese based mobile and e-commerce platform that focuses on establishing online stores and back office integration for local service industry, and she continued to serve as a director of Wowo Limited from June 2017 to November 2018. From October 2009 to July 2011, Ms. Sun was also the manager of the U.S. equity team in Changyou.com Limited (Formerly Nasdaq: CYOU), a leading online game developer and operator in China which recently completed a merger with Sohu.com (Game) Limited, a subsidiary of Sohu.com Limited (Nasdaq: SOHU). Ms. Sun started her career as an analyst in DC Capital Management, an investment banking firm in Hong Kong in July 2006. Ms. Sun holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Linguistics and Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University and is currently enrolled in the EMBA program in China Europe International Business School.
We believe Ms. Sun’s extensive experience in business and managing public companies make her well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Mr. Zhiyong (Ben) Li is our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Li has been the Chief Executive Officer of Hadoop Data Limited since May 2021. From June 2019 to May 2021, Mr. Li served as the Chief Financial Officer of BlueCity Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: BLCT), an LGBTQ focused Internet technology company dedicated to providing comprehensive services to diverse users around the world. From June 2007 to June 2019, Mr. Li worked at GDS Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: GDS), a data company providing solutions with large scale data center, where he started as a financial analyst and was promoted as a Vice President in finance department in 2014. From September 2005 to June 2007, Mr. Li was an associate in PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Li holds a Bachelor’s degree in National Economics Management from Renmin University of China.
Mr. Hongfei Tian will serve as an independent director upon the effectiveness of this prospectus. Since February 2016, Mr. Tian has been the founding partner of iVision Ventures Limited, an AI focused venture firm investing in autonomous driving, service robots, STEM robots, fintech and enterprise big data analytics software companies. Mr. Tian founded PAYYARD PTE. LTD, a bitcoin wallet company in Singapore in 2014 and served as the Chief Executive Officer from July 2014 to December 2015. In December 2009, Mr. Tian founded Beijing Looa Technology Ltd. Co., a social commerce SaaS software company, and served as served as the Chief Executive Officer from June 2014 to December 2019. Before that, he worked as a software engineer at Oracle Corporation from December 2003 to May 2009. Mr. Tian hold a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Henan University.
We believe Mr. Tian qualifies as an independent director because of his successful entrepreneurships in technology-related business, including data analysis and blockchain industries.
Mr. Jian Liu will serve as an independent director upon the effectiveness of this prospectus. Mr. Liu has served as the executive director since January 2008 and the Chief Operating Officer since February 2006 at Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN), a NYSE listing company, operating a used auto business in China and several SaaS businesses in the US. Since October 2018, Mr. Liu has been a director of Kaixin Auto Holdings (Nasdaq: KXIN), a leading premium used auto dealership group in China which consummated a business combination with CM Severn Star Acquisition Corporation, a blank check company in April 2019. Mr. Liu had served as the Chief Executive Officer of Kaixin Auto Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kaxin Auto Holdings acquired from Renren Inc. from September 2014 to October 2018. Since July 2019, Mr. Liu has served as an independent director at Opera Ltd. (Nasdaq: OPRA), a leading global provider of a range of products and services including PC and mobile browsers, AI-powered content platform Opera News and other solutions and products. Prior to that, in September 2003, he founded UUMe.com (which was later acquired by RenRen in May 2005), one of the earliest social networking service websites in China. Previously, from February 2002 to August 2003, Mr. Liu served as the founding product management director at Fortinet, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTNT), a Nasdaq listed network security solution provider. From July 2000 to January 2002, he served as a product manager at Siebel Systems Inc., a U.S. software company. Mr. Liu started his career as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group in China from September 1995 to August 1998. Mr. Liu holds an MBA degree from Stanford University as an Arjay Miller Scholar in 2020 and Bachelor’s degrees in computer Science and Economics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1995.
We believe Mr. Liu qualifies as an independent director because of his years of experience in internet industry and managing public companies.
Dr. Xiaolin Zhong will serve as an independent director upon the effectiveness of this prospectus. Dr. Zhong has more than 20 years’ experience in venture capital investment and private equity. Since March 2016, Dr. Zhong has served as the Chairman of Shenzhen Turing Capital Management Co. Ltd. and the founding partner of Shenzhen Turing Venture Capital LLP, a company focusing on early stage venture investment. From January 2014 to March 2016, Dr. Zhong served as a president and managing partner at Xing Capital Management Co. Ltd & Xing Capital LLP, focusing on private equity investment. From May 2005 to April 2017, Dr. Zhong was a managing director & general partner of TDF Capital LLP, a venture capital fund focusing on early to growth venture opportunities in China. From May 2007 to January 2011, he was a founding and managing partner of KPCB (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers) China Fund.
Dr. Zhong received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in engineering from Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST) in China in 1986 and 1989, respectively. Dr. Zhong received his PhD in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh Napier University, UK in 1996, and an MBA degree from The Ivey School of Business (Western) at the Western University in 2003. Mr. Zhong attended and completed the Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University in 2010.
We believe Dr. Zhong qualifies as an independent director because of his years of experience in investment, corporate finance, and technology industry.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
We intend to have five directors upon the effectiveness of this prospectus. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Mr. Jian Liu, will expire at our first annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Hongfei Tian and Xiaolin Zhong, will expire at the second annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Bin (Brian) Lin and Yang (Shayla) Sun, will expire at the third annual meeting of shareholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will entitle the initial shareholders to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by the vote of at least 90 % of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that our officers may consist of one or more Chairmen of the Board, one or more Chief Executive Officers, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
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 Messrs. Tian, He, and Liu are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our audit committee will be entirely composed of independent directors meeting Nasdaq’s additional requirements applicable to members of the audit committee. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us, except that our sponsor has agreed to transfer an aggregated amount of 60,000 founder shares to our officers, directors and their designees prior to the closing of this offering. Other than as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid to our founders or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. In addition, our officers, 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 will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our founders or their affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed 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 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.
Following a business combination, to the extent we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team 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.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors will have two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Messrs. Tian, Zhong, and Liu will serve as members of our audit committee, with Mr. Liu serving as the Chairman of 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, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Each such person meets 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. Liu qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| ● | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| ● | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| ● | reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
| ● | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors; |
| ● | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
| ● | obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (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; |
| ● | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
| ● | reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Messrs. Tian, Zhong, and Liu serve as members of our compensation committee, with Mr. Tian serving as the chairman of the 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, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Each such person meets the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards applicable to members of the compensation committee.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation 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, other than reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to complete the consummation of a business combination although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, 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. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) 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. 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 shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of shareholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of shareholders). Our shareholders 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, our board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year have not 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
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit and compensation committee charters as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Although we do not believe any conflict currently exists between us and our founders, affiliates of our founders may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If such entities decide to pursue an opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunity. In addition, investment ideas generated within our founders may be suitable for both us and for an affiliate of founders and may be directed to such entity rather than to us. Neither our founders nor members of our management team who are also employed by or affiliated with our founders will have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, unless presented to such member specifically in his or her capacity as an officer or director of the company. Our founders and/or our management team, in their capacities as employees or affiliates of our founders or in their other endeavors, may be required to present potential business combinations to future founders’ affiliates or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them 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 business combination opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, in the future, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers arising in the future would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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.
Our officers or directors may become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, even before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus).
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| ● | None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
| | |
| ● | Our officers may become an officer or director of any other SPACs even before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus); as a result, our officers or directors may present a potential target to our competitor that would had been presented to us or devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
| ● | In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. |
| ● | Our founders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our founders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus). If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private shares held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private shares will be worthless. With certain limited exceptions, 50% of founder shares will not be transferable, assignable by our founders until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or (B) the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since members of our founders may directly or indirectly own Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to complete our initial business combination. |
| ● | Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
| ● | Our founders may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our founders or an affiliate of our founders to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination and/or fund our extensions if we need additional time to complete a business combination. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into working capital shares at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
In general, officers and directors of a company incorporated under the laws of Cayman Islands are required to present business opportunities to a company if:
| ● | the company could financially undertake the opportunity; |
| | |
| ● | the opportunity is within the company’s line of business; and |
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| ● | it would not be fair to the company and its shareholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the company. |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers, directors and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
Individual | | Entity | | Entity’s Business | | Affiliation |
Bin (Brian) Lin | | Lianluo Smart Ltd | | Health | | CEO and Chairman of the Board |
| Beijing Huitu Technology Ltd | | Technology | | Chairman of the Board |
| | Beijing ZhiHuiHongTu Enterprise Management Ltd | | | | Director |
| | First Winner Financial Services | | | | Director |
| | First Winner Management Limited | | | | Director |
| | Jade Value Holdings Limited | | Investment | | Director |
Yang (Shayla) Sun | | First Winners Financial Services | | Investment | | Co-founder; Partner |
Zhiyong (Ben) Li | | Hadoop Data Limited | | Technology | | CEO |
| | Beijing Handuzhiyun Data Technology Ltd. | | Data | | Legal Representative |
Hongfei Tian | | Shenzhen iVision Ventures Co., Ltd. | | Investment | | Founding Partner |
| | Hangzhou Qianyuan Qingxin Internet Technology Co., Ltd | | Internet | | Director |
Jian Liu | | RenRen Inc. | | Internet | | Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director |
| | Kaixin Auto Holdings | | Auto dealership | | Director |
| | Opera Limited | | Internet | | Independent Director |
Xiaolin Zhong | | Shenzhen HiFuture Information Technology Co., Ltd. | | Advanced manufacture and IT | | Independent Director |
| | Brilliance Technology Co., Ltd. | | IT service management | | Independent Director |
| | Jolimark Information Technology Ltd. | | Manufacture and sales of printers | | Independent Director |
| | Beijing WatchData Equity Ltd. Co. | | | | Director |
| | Shenzhen Turing Capital Management Co. Ltd. & Turing Venture Capital LLP | | Venture Capital | | Chairman and Manging Partner |
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our founders or any affiliate of them, subject to certain approvals and consents. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with such a company, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our shareholders for a vote, our founders have agreed to vote any founder shares and private shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
| ● | each of our executive officers and directors upon completion of this offering that beneficially owns our ordinary shares; and |
| ● | all our executive officers and directors upon completion of this offering 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 ordinary shares beneficially owned by them.
On April 16, 2021, our sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 founder shares. On November 8, 2021, we effectuated a capitalization of shares in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so our sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 founder shares. As a result, our sponsor acquired 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Our sponsor has committed to transfer the aggregated amount of 60,000 founders to our officers, directors and their designees prior to the closing of this offering at the original purchase price. The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders before and after this offering. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our founders forfeit 281,250 founder shares but purchased 320,000 private shares, and that there are 5,250,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
| | Before Offering | | | After Offering | |
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | | | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | | | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | | | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | |
Jade Value Holdings Limited(2) | | | 2,096,250 | | | | 97.22 | % | | | 2,135,000 | (3) | | | 22.02 | % |
Bin (Brian) Lin | | | 2,096,250 | | | | 97.22 | % | | | 2,135,000 | (3) | | | 22.02 | % |
Yang (Shayla) Sun | | | 0 | | | | - | | | | 0 | | | | - | |
Zhiyong (Ben) Li | | | 0 | | | | - | | | | 0 | | | | - | |
Hongfei Tian | | | 20,000 | | | | * | | | | 20,000 | | | | * | |
Xiaolin Zhong | | | 20,000 | | | | * | | | | 20,000 | | | | * | |
Jian Liu | | | 20,000 | | | | * | | | | 20,000 | | | | * | |
All executive officers and directors as a group (six individuals) | | | 2,156,250 | | | | 100 | % | | | 2,195,000 | | | | 22.64 | % |
* | less than 1%. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Jade Value Acquisition Corporation, Floor 18, Lianluo Plaza, Wangjing Street #10, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China. |
(2) | Our sponsor is the record holder of founder shares reported herein. Mr. Bin (Brian) Lin is the sole director of our sponsor, and as such may be deemed to have voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held by our sponsor. |
(3) | Representing 1,815,000 founder shares and 320,000 private shares. |
Immediately after this offering, our founders will beneficially own approximately 22.64% of the then-issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and no exercise of the over-allotment, and, therefore, the forfeiture of an aggregate of 281,250 founder shares held by our sponsor). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a capitalization issue or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our founders at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the sale of the privates shares and assuming our founders do not purchase units in this offering). Because of this ownership block, our founders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
Our founders have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares or private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our founders are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Shares
The founder shares and private shares (including working capital shares) are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us to be entered into by our founders. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (i) in the case of the founder shares, 50% of founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until the earlier to occur of: (a) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or (b) the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private shares until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our founders, any members of our founders, or any of their affiliates, officers, directors, direct and indirect equity holders, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family, to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or 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 a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or the limited liability company agreement of our sponsor upon dissolution of the sponsor; (g) in the event of the company’s liquidation prior to the completion of a business combination; (h) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (i) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares and private shares (including working capital shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities 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. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On April 16, 2021, our sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 founder shares. On November 8, 2021, we effectuated a capitalization of shares in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so our sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 founder shares at no additional consideration. As a result, our sponsor acquired 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our founders, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent approximately 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a capitalization issue or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary share immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our founders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering). Up to 281,250 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Our sponsor has agreed to transfer the aggregated amount of 60,000 founder shares to our officers, directors and their designees. The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 320,000 private shares (or 342,500 private shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) for a purchase price of $10.00 per share in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, our founders’ interest in this transaction is valued at between $3,200,000 and $3,425,000, depending on the number of private shares purchased. The private shares sold in the private placement and working capital shares may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days following the closing of the business combination.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a 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, including our founders, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations to other entities that may take priority over their duties to us. Other than as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid to our founders, existing officers, directors and advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. In addition, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our founders 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.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account. The value of our sponsor and/or its affiliates’ interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our founders or an affiliate of our founders may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required and/or fund our extensions if we need additional time to complete a business combination. 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 $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into working capital shares at $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The working capital shares would be identical to the private shares sold in the private placement. The terms of such loans by our sponsor or their affiliates, 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 founders or an affiliate of our founders 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, but if we do, we will request such lender to 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 shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the private shares sold in the private placement, the private shares issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the founder shares, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Registration Rights.”
Related Party Policy
We have 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.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt 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 form of the code of ethics that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be 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 form of the audit committee charter that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We also require each of our directors and executive 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 our founders unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which 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. Furthermore, other than as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments will be made to our founders, existing officers, directors or advisors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. In addition, the following payments will be made to our founders or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
| ● | Repayment to an aggregate of up to $500,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor; |
| ● | 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 founders or an affiliate of our founders to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination and/or to fund our extensions if we need additional time to complete a business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into working capital shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. Such working capital shares are identical to the private shares sold in the private placement. |
| ● | Repayment of extension loans which may be made by our sponsor, its affiliates or designee if we extend the time available to us to complete our initial business combination at an amount of $750,000, or $862,500 if the over-allotment is exercised in full, for each three-month extension, which may be convertible into units, or working capital 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 founders or their affiliates.
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our authorized share capital consists of 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preference shares, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our share capital. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units Sold in this Offering
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one whole Class A ordinary share, one-half of one redeemable warrant and one right. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. Each right entitles the holder thereof to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, we will not issue fractional Class A ordinary shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional Class A ordinary shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole Class A ordinary shares or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Company Act. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of 10 in order to receive Class A ordinary shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination.
The Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless the representatives inform us of its decision (based upon, among other things, its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets, of comparably capitalized companies and of blank check companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular) to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days after the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Private Shares Sold in the Private Placement
The private shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering. With certain limited exceptions, the private shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to our founders, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The price of the private shares was determined in negotiations between our founders and the underwriter for this offering, with reference to the prices paid by initial shareholders for such private shares in special purpose acquisition companies, which have recently consummated their initial public offerings.
Ordinary shares
Upon the closing of this offering, 9,695,000 ordinary shares will be issued and outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 281,250 founder shares by our founders), consisting of:
| ● | 7,500,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering; |
| ● | 320,000 Class A ordinary shares issued in the private placement; and |
| ● | 1,875,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our founders |
If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a capitalization issue or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our founders prior to this offering at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering).
Shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as required by law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the holders of Class B ordinary shares shall have the exclusive right to elect and remove, with or without cause, any director, and the holders of Class A ordinary shares shall have no right to vote on the election or removal of any director. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated memorandum of association authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our business combination.
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. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors, including in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and holders of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our founders 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 shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our business combination. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all issued and outstanding shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our founders or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our business combination once a quorum is obtained. 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 business combination. These quorums and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the ordinary shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our business combination, our founders have agreed to vote their founder shares and private shares as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our founders’ founder shares and private shares, we would need 2,652,501, or 35.37%, of the 7,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote, do not vote or abstain, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, and irrespective of whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, 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 taxes or for working capital purposes (less up to 50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our founders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus). However, if our founders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares and Private Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares. Except as described below, the founder shares and private shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares and private shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our founders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (a) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (b) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (C) to waive 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 this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, (iii) the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares and/or underlying Class A ordinary shares upon conversion and holders of Class B ordinary shares have exclusive rights to elect or remove directors prior to the closing of our initial business combination; and (iv) are entitled to registration rights.
Our memorandum and articles of association, or our current charter, does not restrict the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares prior to the closing of the offering, however, our sponsor as the sole holder of Class B ordinary shares prior to the effectives of this prospectus, has committed not to convert any Class B ordinary shares. We will adopt the first amended and restatement memorandum and articles of association, or our IPO charter, immediately prior to or upon the effectiveness of this prospectus, pursuant to which, Class B ordinary share will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, on one-for-one basis (subject to adjustments for share dividend, share split, recapitalization, reorganization and the like). If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our founders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) pursuant to the letter agreement to vote any founder shares and private shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination.
In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering) outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private shares issued to our sponsor upon conversion of working capital loans; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one for one basis. We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions that are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A shareholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing that would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary share. If such adjustment is not waived, the issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B ordinary share, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A ordinary share. If such adjustment is waived, the issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our ordinary shares. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.
With certain limited exceptions, our founders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of its founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or (B) the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property.
With certain limited exceptions, the private shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to our founders, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
| ● | the names and addresses of the members, together with a statement of the shares held by each member and such statement shall confirm (i) the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid on the shares of each member, (ii) the number and category of shares held by each member, and (iii) whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional; |
| ● | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
| ● | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preferred shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of one year from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as discussed in the immediately succeeding paragraph. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b) (1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value” (defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Fair Market Value. The “Fair Market Value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $16.50. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $16.50 per share (including adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Warrants — Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $16.50 redemption trigger price (including adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, the Company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.
Redemption procedures. A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a capitalization or share dividend paid in Class A ordinary shares to all or substantially all holders of Class A ordinary shares, or by a split-up of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such capitalization or share dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Class A ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a share dividend of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “historical fair market value” means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to all or substantially all of the holders of Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are then convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Class A ordinary shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution, does not exceed $0.50 (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any other adjustments and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the exercise price or to the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50 per share, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share split or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the registered holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of Class A ordinary shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between VStock Transfer, LLC, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
Rights
Each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share consummation of our initial business combination, even if the holder of a public right converted all Class A ordinary shares held by him, her or it in connection with the initial business combination or an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association with respect to our pre-initial business combination activities. In the event we will not be the surviving company upon completion of our initial business combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive the kind and amount of securities or properties of the surviving entity that each one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share of the Company is entitled to receive upon consummation of the business combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive his, her or its Class A ordinary shares upon consummation of an initial business combination. The Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exchange of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of ours). If we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per Class A ordinary share consideration that the holders of the Class A ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into Class A ordinary share basis. Rights holders are not eligible to vote on or redeem in our initial business combination.
We will not issue fractional Class A ordinary shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of 10 in order to receive Class A ordinary shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from our assets held outside of the trust account with respect to such rights, and there are no contractual penalties for failure to exchange the rights, so the rights will expire worthless. Additionally, in no event will we be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a 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 conditions subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase the size of the offering, in which case we will effect a capitalization immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial shareholders prior to this offering at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the sale of the private shares and assuming our founders do not purchase public shares in this offering). Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent, Warrant Agent and Right Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants and right agent for our rights is VStock Transfer, LLC. We have agreed to indemnify VStock Transfer, LLC in its roles as transfer agent, warrant agent and right agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of two-thirds in value of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation. Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted. Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived, (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company, and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30-day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30-day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
| ● | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with; |
| ● | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question; |
| ● | the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
| ● | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of U.S. corporations.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer is made within four months, the offer or may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our Cayman Islands counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
| ● | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
| ● | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be only effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or |
| ● | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
| ● | an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
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| ● | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection; |
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| ● | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
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| ● | an exempted company may issue shares with no par value; |
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| ● | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); |
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| ● | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
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| ● | an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and |
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| ● | an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited Liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of 65% of our ordinary shares. Our founders, who will beneficially own approximately 22.64% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that:
| ● | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), 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 subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes or for working capital purposes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
| ● | Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to: (i) receive funds from the trust account; (ii) vote on any initial business combination; or (iii) vote on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity; |
| ● | Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our founders, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| ● | If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act; |
| ● | Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and interest income earned on the trust account that is released to us to pay taxes or for working capital purposes) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| ● | If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; and |
| ● | We will not complete our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions.
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of such company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting or by way of unanimous written resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering — Cayman Islands
If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report will not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
Cayman Islands Data Protection
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “DPA”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the Company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the DPA (“personal data”).
In the following discussion, the “Company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who This Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the Company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use a Shareholder’s Personal Data
The Company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
| (i) | where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements; |
| (ii) | where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or |
| (iii) | where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms. |
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the United States, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual meetings.
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares and preference shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved ordinary shares and preferred shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Special meeting of shareholders
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special meetings of our shareholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our Chief Executive Officer or by our Chairman.
Advance notice requirements for shareholder proposals and director nominations
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that shareholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of shareholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of shareholders, must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of shareholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a shareholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our shareholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of shareholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of shareholders.
Action by written consent
Subsequent to the consummation of the offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our shareholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such shareholders and may not be effected by written consent of the shareholders other than with respect to our Class B ordinary shares.
Classified Board of Directors
Our board of directors will initially be divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preferred shares, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. However, prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the holders of Class B ordinary shares shall have the exclusive right to elect and remove, with or without cause, any director, and the holders of Class A ordinary shares shall have no right to vote on the election or removal of any director. Any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.
Class B Ordinary Share Consent Right
For so long as any Class B ordinary shares remain issued and outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the Class B ordinary shares then issued and outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B ordinary share. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B ordinary shares may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all Class B ordinary shares were present and voted.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after the consummation of this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) we will have 9,695,000 (or 11,123,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the 7,500,000 shares (or 8,625,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the 1,875,000 (or 2,156,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) founder shares and all 320,000 (or 342,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. The founder shares and private shares are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. The founder shares once converted into Class A ordinary shares and private shares will be subject to registration rights as more fully described below under “— Registration Rights.”
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares, warrants or rights for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares, warrants or rights for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
| ● | 1% of the total number of ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 96,950 shares immediately after this offering (or 111,238 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or |
| ● | the average weekly reported trading volume of Class A ordinary share during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| ● | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| ● | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| ● | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and materials required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
| ● | at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our initial shareholders will be able to sell their founder shares and private shares, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares and private shares (including working capital shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering, requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A ordinary share). 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 the 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. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We have applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “JVACU”. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights will be separately listed in the Nasdaq under the symbols “JVAC”, “JVACW” and “JVACR”, respectively. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.
TAXATION
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one redeemable warrant and one right, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax considerations relevant to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the Company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stamp able if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has received undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
The Tax Concessions Act Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised), the following undertaking is given to Jade Value Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”):
1. That no law which is thereafter enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and
2. In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:
2.1 On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or
2.2 by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in Section 6(3) of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised).
These concessions shall be for a period of 20 years from April 15, 2021.
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following discussion summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one redeemable warrant and one right) that are purchased in this offering by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). Because the components of a unit are generally separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share, warrant and right components of the unit. As a result, the discussion below with respect to holders of Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights that constitute the units).
This discussion is limited to certain U.S. federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as a capital asset under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
This discussion assumes that the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars. This discussion is general in nature and does not purport to be a complete description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstance or status, or to prospective investors subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, including:
| ● | our sponsor, founders, officers or directors; |
| ● | banks, financial institutions or financial services entities; |
| ● | taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market accounting rules; |
| ● | Governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
| ● | Regulated investment companies; |
| ● | Real estate investment trusts; |
| ● | Expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States; |
| ● | Persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our shares; |
| ● | Persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation or in connection with services; |
| ● | persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedging, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction; or |
| ● | U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. |
The discussion below is based upon the provisions of the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof. Those authorities may be repealed, revoked, modified or subject to differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address any aspect of U.S. federal non-income tax laws, such as gift, estate or Medicare contribution tax laws, or state, local or non-U.S. tax laws or considerations under any applicable tax treaty.
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion. You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.
As used herein, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of units, Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) an individual citizen or resident of the United States; (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust if (A) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) it has in effect a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person.
If a beneficial owner of our securities is not described as a U.S. Holder and is not an entity treated as a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such owner will be considered a “Non-U.S. Holder.” The U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable specifically to Non-U.S. Holders are described below under the heading “Non-U.S. Holders.”
This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of partnerships or other pass-through entities or persons who hold our securities through such entities. If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partner and the partnership. Partnerships holding our securities and partners in such partnerships should consult their own tax advisors.
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES AND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CAREFUL TAX PLANNING. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES SHOULD CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. TAX LAWS, AS WELL AS ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATY.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one warrant to acquire one Class A ordinary share and one right to acquire one-tenth of one Class A ordinary share. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share, the one-half of one warrant and the one right based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share, the one-half of one warrant and the one right should be the shareholder’s tax basis in such share, one-half of one warrant or one right, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share, one-half of one warrant and one right comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share, the one-half of one warrant and one right based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights comprising units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will be required to include in gross income as dividends the amount of any distribution paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Such dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. Holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (see “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares, Warrants and Rights” below).
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, dividends generally will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares, Warrants and Rights” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States (such as Nasdaq) and certain other requirements are met, including that the Company is not treated as a PFIC during the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or in the preceding taxable year. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of such lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Share, Warrants and Rights.
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights (including on our dissolution and liquidation if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period).
Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose.
The amount of gain or loss recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition generally will be equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights based upon the then relative fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares, the warrants and the rights included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one warrant or one right, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) reduced by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder is currently eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. See “— Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary share acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant. The deduction of capital losses is subject to certain limitations. A U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the allocation of remaining tax basis.
Redemption of Class A ordinary shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (referred to herein as a redemption), the treatment of the redemption for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether it qualifies as sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares, Warrants and Rights” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “— Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after such redemption. The redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a distribution) if such redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only our Class A Ordinary shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any shares the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80 percent of the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination, the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other shares of ours. The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to a U.S. Holder if it results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.
If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption may be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the allocation of remaining tax basis.
Exercise or Lapse of a Warrant.
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of a Class A ordinary share on the exercise of a warrant for cash. A U.S. Holder’s initial tax basis in a Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant generally will equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrant (as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary share will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary share received would equal the holder’s basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear when a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Class A ordinary share would be treated as commencing. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary share would include the holding period of the warrants exercised therefor.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in whole or in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having an aggregate fair market value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the Class A ordinary share received in respect of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in such warrants. Such gain or loss would be long-term or short-term, depending on the U.S. holder’s holding period in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary share received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrants exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant. There may also be alternative characterizations of any such taxable exchange that would result in similar tax consequences, except that a U.S. Holder’s gain or loss would be short-term.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A ordinary share received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
While not free from doubt, a redemption of warrants for Class A ordinary shares described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” should be treated as a “recapitalization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, subject to the PFIC rules described below, a U.S. Holder should not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for Class A ordinary shares. In such event, a U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received in the redemption generally should equal the U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period for the Class A ordinary shares received should include the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants. However, there is some uncertainty regarding this tax treatment and it is possible such a redemption could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized in a manner similar to that discussed above for a cashless exercise of warrants. Accordingly, a U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption of warrants for Class A ordinary shares.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares, Warrants and Rights.” We intend to treat the exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.01 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” as if we redeemed such warrant for shares as described in the immediately preceding paragraph. However if the redemption were instead to be characterized for U.S. federal income tax purposes as an exercise of the warrant, then the tax treatment would instead be treated as described above in the first paragraph under “— U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.”
Possible Constructive Distributions.
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases such U.S. Holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares which is taxable to the U.S. Holders of such Class A ordinary shares as described under “— Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. Holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.
Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. However, pursuant to a start-up exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (i) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (ii) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the two taxable years following the start-up year; and (iii) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year (or possibly not until after the close of the first two taxable years following our start-up year, as described under the start-up exception). After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year.
Although our PFIC status is determined annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election or a mark-to-market election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, as described below, such U.S. Holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. Holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. Holder during a taxable year of the U.S. Holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. Holder or, if shorter, such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares).
Under these rules:
| ● | the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights; |
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| ● | the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. Holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income; |
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| ● | the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. Holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. Holder; and |
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| ● | an additional tax equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. Holder with respect to the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. Holder. |
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect of our Class A ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
A U.S. Holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. Holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants) and we were a PFIC at any time during the U.S. Holder’s holding period of such warrants, any gain recognized generally will be treated as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. If a U.S. Holder that exercises such warrants properly makes a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding such QEF election, the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. Holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. Holder makes a purging election. The purging election creates a deemed sale of such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, the U.S. Holder will have a new basis and holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants for purposes of the PFIC rules. A U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to its particular circumstances.
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. Holder must receive a PFIC annual information statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
If a U.S. Holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of our earnings and profits, whether or not distributed for such year. A subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable when distributed to such U.S. Holder. The tax basis of a U.S. Holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. In addition, if we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to our Class A ordinary shares for such taxable year.
Alternatively, if we are a PFIC and our Class A ordinary shares constitute “marketable stock,” a U.S. Holder may avoid the adverse PFIC tax consequences discussed above if such U.S. Holder, at the close of the first taxable year in which it holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, makes a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. Such U.S. Holder generally will include for each of its taxable years as ordinary income the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of such year over its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. The U.S. Holder also will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to warrants.
The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” generally, stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Nasdaq (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. Holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. Holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. We will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. Holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. There can be no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide such required information. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our securities under their particular circumstances.
Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement and the period of limitations for assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. An interest in the Company constitutes a specified foreign financial asset for these purposes. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties and the period of limitations for assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| ● | a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates); |
| ● | a foreign corporation or |
| ● | an estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder; |
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.
Dividends (including constructive dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect of our Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States). In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
Dividends (including constructive dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. Holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
UNDERWRITING
Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to that underwriter, the number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.
Underwriter | | Number of Units | |
US Tiger Securities, Inc. | | | |
EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC | | | |
Total | | 7,500,000 | |
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.
The offering of the units by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $0.20 per unit. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. If the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 1,125,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional units approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.
Our founders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as in the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Shares”). The private shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Shares”).
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters. Among the factors considered in determining initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares, warrants or rights will develop and continue after this offering.
Listing of our Securities
We have applied to list our units on Nasdaq under the symbol “JVACU” We expect that our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights will be listed under the symbols “JVAC,” “JVACW,” and “JVACR” respectively, once the ordinary shares, warrants and rights begin separate trading.
Over-allotment Option
We have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to 1,125,000 additional units. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with this offering. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will each purchase additional shares approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.
Commissions and Discounts
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $1,500,000 (or $1,725,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Any shares sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to $0.20 per share from the public offering price. If all of the shares are not sold at the initial public offering price, the representatives may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the shares at the prices and upon the terms stated therein, and, as a result, will thereafter bear any risk associated with changing the offering price to the public or other selling terms.
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
| | Payable by Jade Value Acquisition Corporation | |
| | No Exercise | | | Full Exercise | |
Per Unit(1) | | $ | 0.55 | | | $ | 0.55 | |
Total(1) | | $ | 4,125,000 | | | $ | 4,743,750 | |
| (1) | Includes $0.35 per unit, or $2,625,000 (or $3,018,750 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. A portion of such amount not to exceed 35% of the total amount of deferred underwriting commissions held in the trust account, may be re-allocated or paid to members of FINRA that assist us in consummating our initial business combination. The election to re-allocate or make such payments to members of FINRA will be solely at the discretion of our management team. |
If we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate, the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation, and (ii) that the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, to the public shareholders.
In addition to the underwriting discount, we paid US Tiger $50,000 as an advance against out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually anticipated to be incurred by the underwriters. We have agreed to pay or reimburse the underwriters for fees and expenses related to this offering up to an aggregate of $100,000 (less amounts previously paid).
No discounts or commissions will be paid on the sale of the private shares.
Pricing of Securities
We have been advised by the representatives that the underwriters propose to offer the shares to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the shares was negotiated between us and the representatives. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the shares include:
| ● | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
| ● | prior offerings of those companies; |
| ● | our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
| ● | the per share amount of net proceeds being placed into the trust account; |
| ● | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
| ● | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering; and |
| ● | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
However, although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry since the underwriters are unable to compare our financial results and prospects with those of public companies operating in the same industry.
Regulatory Restrictions on Purchase of Securities
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. The underwriters have advised us that, in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, they may engage in short sale transactions, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of our units at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market.
| ● | Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than it is required to purchase in the offering. |
| ● | “Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
| ● | “Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
| ● | Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions. |
| ● | To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
| ● | To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the over-allotment option. In determining the source of units to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option. |
| ● | Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own account, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our Class A ordinary share. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, any of the activities may be discontinued at any time.
Other Terms
Except as set forth above, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may, among other things, introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital, as needs may arise in the future. If any underwriter provides services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriter prior to the date which is 60 days after the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering.
Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against some liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in this respect.
Electronic Distribution
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available by e-mail or on the web sites or through online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of ordinary shares for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriters’ web sites and any information contained in any other web site maintained by any of the underwriters is not part of this prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriters and should not be relied upon by investors.
Other Activities and Relationships
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. Certain of the underwriters and their respective affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory and investment banking services for us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers and may at any time hold long and short positions in such securities and instruments. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
Selling Restrictions Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Regulation (each, a “Relevant Member State”) an offer to the public of the units may not be made in that Relevant Member State, except that an offer to the public in that Relevant Member State of the units may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
| (a) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation; |
| (b) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or |
| (c) | in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that no such offer of the units shall result in a requirement for the publication by us or any underwriter of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation. |
provided that no such offer of units shall require the company or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the units in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase the units, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Regulation in that Member State, the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
Each person in a Relevant Member State who receives any communication in respect of, or who acquires any units under, the offering contemplated hereby will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with the underwriter and its affiliates and the company that:
| (i) | it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation; and |
| (ii) | in the case of any units acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5 of the Prospectus Regulation, (i) the units acquired by it in the offering have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, as that term is defined in the Prospectus Regulation, or have been acquired in other circumstances falling within the points (a) to (d) of Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation and the prior consent of the Joint Global Coordinators has been given to the offer or resale; or (ii) where the units have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, the offer of those Offer Shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such persons. |
The company, the underwriter and its affiliates, and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representation, acknowledgement and agreement. Notwithstanding the above, a person who is not a qualified investor and who has notified the Joint Global Coordinators of such fact in writing may, with the prior consent of the Joint Global Coordinators, be permitted to acquire units in the offering.
This European Economic Area selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out below.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
This Prospectus and any other material in relation to the offering described herein is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, and any investment or investment activity to which this Prospectus relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only with persons who are (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of investment professionals in Article 19(5) of the FPO: or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the FPO: (iii) outside the UK; or (iv) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any units may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “Relevant Persons”).
The units are only available in the United Kingdom to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire the units will be engaged in only with, the Relevant Persons. This Prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other person in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this Prospectus or any of its contents.
No units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, except that the units may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
| (i) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; |
| (ii) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the Global Coordinators for any such offer; or |
| (iii) | in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the FSMA. |
provided that no such offer of the units shall require the company and/or the underwriter or any of its affiliates to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the units in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Each person in the United Kingdom who acquires any units in the offering or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the Company, the underwriter and its affiliates that it meets the criteria outlined in this section.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
The securities may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions, and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the securities must be made in accordance with an exemption form, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this offering memorandum (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriter is not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.
Any offer in Australia of the securities may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the securities without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.
The securities applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.
This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
Notice to Prospective Investors in New Zealand
This document has not been registered, filed with, or approved by any New Zealand regulatory authority under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 (New Zealand) (“FMCA”). This document is not a product disclosure statement under New Zealand law and is not required to, and may not, contain all the information that a product disclosure statement under New Zealand law is required to contain. The Securities are not being offered or sold in New Zealand (or allotted with a view to being offered for sale in New Zealand) other than to a person who is a “wholesale investor” within the meaning of clause 3(2) of Schedule 1 of the FMCA – that is, a person who:
| ● | is an “investment business” within the meaning of clause 37 of Schedule 1 of the FMCA; |
| ● | meets the “investment activity criteria” specified in clause 38 of Schedule 1 of the FMCA; |
| ● | is “large” within the meaning of clause 39 of Schedule 1 of the FMCA; or |
| ● | is a “government agency” within the meaning of clause 40 of Schedule 1 of the FMCA. |
The Securities are not being offered or sold to retail investors in New Zealand.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the People’s Republic of China
This prospectus may not be circulated or distributed in China and the units may not be offered or sold, and will not offer or sell to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any resident of China except pursuant to applicable laws, rules and regulations of China. For the purpose of this paragraph only, China does not include Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
The units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to our units be issued or may be in possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Taiwan
The units have not been and will not be registered with the Financial Supervisory Commission of (“Taiwan”), pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan through a public offering or in any manner which would constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan or would otherwise require registration with or the approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan
The units and underlying Class A ordinary shares, warrants and rights have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re- offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” will mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Indonesia
This prospectus does not, and is not intended to, constitute a public offering in Indonesia under Law Number 8 of 1995 regarding Capital Market. This prospectus may not be distributed in the Republic of Indonesia and the ordinary shares may not be offered or sold in the Republic of Indonesia or to Indonesian citizens wherever they are domiciled, or to Indonesia residents, in a manner which constitutes a public offering under the laws of the Republic of Indonesia.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Vietnam
This offering of ordinary shares has not been and will not be registered with the State Securities Commission of Vietnam under the Law on Securities of Vietnam and its guiding decrees and circulars. The ordinary shares will not be offered or sold in Vietnam through a public offering and will not be offered or sold to Vietnamese persons other than those who are licensed to invest in offshore securities under the Law on Investment of Vietnam.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Thailand
This prospectus does not, and is not intended to, constitute a public offering in Thailand. The ordinary shares may not be offered or sold to persons in Thailand, unless such offering is made under the exemptions from approval and filing requirements under applicable laws, or under circumstances which do not constitute an offer for sale of the shares to the public for the purposes of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1992 of Thailand, nor require approval from the Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Korea
The ordinary shares may not be offered, sold and delivered directly or indirectly, or offered or sold to any person for reoffering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Korea or to any resident of Korea except pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations of Korea, including the Korea Securities and Exchange Act and the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and the decrees and regulations thereunder. The ordinary shares have not been registered with the Financial Services Commission of Korea for public offering in Korea. Furthermore, the ordinary shares may not be resold to Korean residents unless the purchaser of the ordinary shares complies with all applicable regulatory requirements (including but not limited to government approval requirements under the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and its subordinate decrees and regulations) in connection with the purchase of the ordinary shares.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Israeli Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the units is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
LEGAL MATTERS
Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC, New York, New York, is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus. Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, Cayman Islands, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by Winston & Strawn LLP.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Jade Value Acquisition Corporation as of May 17, 2021, and for the period from April 9, 2021 (inception) through May 17, 2021, appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Friedman LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, (which contains an explanatory paragraph related to substantial doubt about the ability of Jade Value Acquisition Corporation to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of Friedman LLP as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
BALANCE SHEET
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
(Unaudited)
Assets | | | |
Deferred offering costs | | $ | 233,747 | |
Total Assets | | $ | 233,747 | |
| | | | |
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | | | | |
Promissory note - related party | | $ | 213,020 | |
Total Current Liabilities | | | 213,020 | |
| | | | |
Commitments and Contingencies | | | | |
| | | | |
Shareholder’s Equity: | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | - | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | - | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 2,156,250 shares issued and outstanding (1) (2) | | | 216 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 24,784 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (4,273 | ) |
Total Shareholder’s Equity | | | 20,727 | |
Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | | $ | 233,747 | |
| (1) | This number includes up to 281,250 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5) |
| (2) | Gives retroactive effect to additional 1,006,250 shares issued to Sponsor at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization on November 8, 2021. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 17, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
(Unaudited)
Formation costs | | $ | 4,273 | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,273 | ) |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding (1) | | | 1,875,000 | |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary share | | $ | (0.00 | ) |
| (1) | This number excludes up to 281,250 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5) |
| (2) | Gives retroactive effect to additional 1,006,250 shares issued to Sponsor at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization on November 8, 2021. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 17, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
(Unaudited)
| | Preference shares | | | Ordinary Shares | | | Additional | | | | | | Total | |
| | | | | Class A | | | Class B | | | Paid-in | | | Accumulated | | | Shareholder’s | |
| | Shares | | | Amount | | | Shares | | | Amount | | | Shares | | | Amount | | | Capital | | | Deficit | | | Equity | |
Balance as of May 17, 2021 (inception) | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | - | | | $ | - | | | $ | - | | | $ | - | | | $ | - | |
Founder shares issued to initial shareholder (1) | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 2,300,000 | | | | 230 | | | | 24,770 | | | | - | | | | 25,000 | |
Surrender of Founder shares | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (1,150,000 | ) | | | (115 | ) | | | 115 | | | | - | | | | - | |
Additional shares issued to Founder (2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,006,250 | | | | 101 | | | | (101 | ) | | | | | | | | |
Net loss | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | . | | | | (4,273 | ) | | | (4,273 | ) |
Balance as of September 30, 2021 | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | 2,156,250 | | | $ | 216 | | | $ | 24,784 | | | $ | (4,273 | ) | | $ | 20,727 | |
| (1) | This number includes up to 281,250 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5) |
| (2) | Gives retroactive effect to additional 1,006,250 shares issue to Sponsor at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization on November 8, 2021. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 17, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
(Unaudited)
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,273 | ) |
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities | | | (4,273 | ) |
| | | | |
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | | | | |
Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares to initial shareholders | | | 25,000 | |
Payment of deferred offering costs | | | (20,727 | ) |
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities | | | 4,273 | |
| | | | |
Net Change in Cash | | | - | |
| | | | |
Cash, May 17, 2021 (inception) | | | - | |
Cash, September 30, 2021 | | $ | - | |
| | | | |
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: | | | | |
Deferred offering costs paid by promissory note - related party | | $ | 213,020 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
Note 1 – Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration
Jade Value Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”), formerly known as Apollo Acquisition Corporation, is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 9, 2021. Pursuant to a special resolution of the sole shareholder of the Company dated July 23, 2021, Apollo Acquisition Corporation changed its name to Jade Value Acquisition Corporation. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company has not selected any Business Combination target and it has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target with respect to the Business Combination. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. For the period from April 9, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021, the Company’s efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). 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 Proposed Public Offering.
The Company’s founder and sponsor, Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Island company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering,” see Note 3) and a private placement of placement units to the initial shareholder (the “Private Placement,” see Note 4).
The Company’s initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company 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 complete a Business Combination successfully.
Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds of the sale of the private shares, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) maintained by Wilmington Trust, National Association as a trustee and invested the proceeds in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (a) the completion of the initial Business Combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if it does not complete the initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity and (c) the redemption of the Company’s public shares if it is unable to complete the Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), 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 shareholders.
The ordinary shares subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. The Company will have only 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) to complete the initial Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company 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 the Company for working capital purposes or to pay the Company’s taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 the Company’s remaining shareholders and its board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination within the 18-month time period.
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of Founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (ii) the Company’s initial shareholders have entered into an agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed to (A) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (B) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (a) modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of the Company’s public shares in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) and (b) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (C) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their Founder shares if w the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within such time period, and (iii) the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares and/or underlying Class A ordinary shares upon conversion and holders of Class B ordinary shares have exclusive rights to elect or remove directors prior to the closing of our initial business combination; and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. After the closing of this offering, the Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the closing of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights as described herein and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. Our memorandum and articles of association, or our current charter, does not restrict the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares prior to the closing of the offering, however, our sponsor as the sole holder of Class B ordinary shares prior to the effectives of this prospectus, has committed not to convert any Class B ordinary shares. We will adopt the first amended and restatement memorandum and articles of association, or our IPO charter, immediately prior to or upon the effectiveness of this prospectus, pursuant to which, Class B ordinary share will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, on one-for-one basis (subject to adjustments for share dividend, share split, recapitalization, reorganization and the like). If the Company submits its initial Business Combination to its public shareholders for a vote, its founder has agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote their Founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of its initial Business Combination. The other members of the Company’s management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by the Company’s Sponsor with respect to any public shares acquired by them in or after this offering.
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 by a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 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 the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then the Company’s Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims.
Going Concern Consideration
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had a working capital deficiency of $213,020. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering are discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. On April 16, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount of $500,000 as discussed in Note 5 to be used, in part, for transaction costs incurred in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. The unaudited financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the Company’s inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or a Business Combination to continue as a going concern.
Note 2 – Significant accounting policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited 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 SEC. The interim financial information provided is unaudited, but includes all adjustments which management considers necessary for the fair presentation of the results for these periods. Operating results for the interim period ended September 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021.
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 shareholder 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 an 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 unaudited financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 150,000 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). At September 30, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
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 accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position 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. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition.
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 September 30, 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 determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction.
The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal and state 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 and state 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.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands for the period from April 9, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021.
Warrants
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own ordinary shares and whether the warrant holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.
For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s unaudited financial statements.
Note 3 – Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 7,500,000 Units, (or 8,625,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one redeemable warrant and one right to purchase one-tenth of one Class A ordinary share. The Company will not issue fractional shares. As a result, the warrants must be exercised in multiples of one whole warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, and only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, and will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
Note 4 – Private Placement
The Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 320,000 private shares (or 342,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per share (approximately $3,200,000 in the aggregate or $3,425,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The private shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to limited exceptions. However, the holder of the private shares will be entitled to registration rights. In addition, these private shares may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of the Company’s Business Combination.
Note 5 – Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On April 16, 2021, the Sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares (“Founder shares”) of for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, the Sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 Class B ordinary shares.
As of September 30, 2021, there were 1,150,000 Founder Shares issued and outstanding, among which, up to 150,000 Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised. The aggregate capital contribution was $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Pursuant to the Company’s board resolution dated November 6, 2021, the Company issued additional 1,006,250 Founder shares at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization. All shares and per share amounts used herein and in the accompanying unaudited financial statements have been retroactively restated to reflect the nominal share issuance.
The number of Founder Shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such Founder Shares would represent 20% of the number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding shares upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering. The Class B ordinary shares will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. Under our current memorandum and articles of association, holders of Class B ordinary shares may convert their shares into Class A ordinary shares at the option of the holders. However, we do not expect that holders of Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares prior to the adoption of the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, except that, to the extent necessary, they may convert their Class B ordinary shares in part or in full upon the effectiveness of this prospectus in order for the Company to meet the initial listing standards of NASDAQ Global Market to list our securities, particularly the market value of listed securities standard which requires the market value of listed securities is no less than $50 million. In the event that holders of Class B ordinary shares convert any of their Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares, for the shares converted, they will no longer have the rights as holders of Class B ordinary shares, but rather the rights as holders of Class A ordinary shares, provided that such Class A ordinary shares remain as founder shares and subject to the same limitations and restrictions as the Founder shares.
The Sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or (B) the date on which the closing price of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividend, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after the Company’s initial Business Combination and the remaining 50% of the Founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial Business Combination, or earlier. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the Company’s initial shareholders with respect to any Founder shares.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On April 16, 2021, the Sponsor has agreed to loan the Company up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering. As of September 30, 2021, the Company has an outstanding loan balance of $213,020. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of (1) December 31, 2021 or (2) the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the Trust Account.
Related Party Loans
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial 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 and/or fund its extensions if the Company needs additional time to complete a business combination. If the Company completes the initial Business Combination, it would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The shares would be identical to the private placement Class A ordinary share, subject to similar limited restrictions as compared to the units sold in this offering. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the working capital loans.
Note 6 – Commitments & Contingencies
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these unaudited financial statements. The unaudited financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, private placement units private shares, (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of related party loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering, requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company registers such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriters Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 1,125,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
The Company expects to pay an underwriting discount of 2.00% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) to the underwriters at the closing of the Proposed Offering.
Note 7 – Shareholder’s Equity
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preference shares with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of September 30, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of September 30, 2021, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. On April 16, 2021, the Company issued 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor. On May 11, the Sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 ordinary shares. Of the 1,150,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, an aggregate of up to 1,150,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial shareholders will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the Private Placement Shares and assuming the initial shareholders do not purchase any shares in the Proposed Public Offering) (See Note 3). Pursuant to the Company’s board resolution dated November 6, 2021, the Company issued additional 1,006,250 Founder shares at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization so that the sponsor owns an aggregate of 2,156,250 shares of Class B ordinary shares, up to 281,250 shares of the Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised. All shares and per share amounts used herein and in the accompanying unaudited financial statements have been retroactively restated to reflect the nominal share issuance.
Holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders, except as required by law or stock exchange rule; provided that only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the election of the Company’s directors prior to the initial Business Combination and holders of a majority of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
The Company will adopt its first amended and restated memorandum and articles of association upon effectiveness of this prospectus, pursuant to which the Class B ordinary shares will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the closing of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The Class B ordinary shares will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on the closing of the initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering, plus a total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination.
Warrants — Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary share. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
As of September 30, 2021, no warrants were outstanding.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of its initial Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b) (1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event it so elect, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may call the warrants for redemption:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $16.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
Rights— Except in cases where the Company is not the surviving company in a business combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. In the event we will not be the surviving company upon completion of our initial business combination, each registered holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the kind and amount of securities or properties of the surviving entity that each one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share underlying each right is entitled to receive upon consummation of the business combination. The Company will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Cayman Islands law, or the Companies Act.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company has not issued any rights.
Note 8 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date when the unaudited financial statements were issued. Based on this review, other than the 1,006,250 shares issued to Founder that has been reflected in the financial statements, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would require adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
Jade Value Acquisition Corporation
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Jade Value Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”), formerly known as Apollo Acquisition Corporation, as of May 17, 2021 and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the period from April 9, 2021 (inception) through May 17, 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 May 17, 2021 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from April 9, 2021 (inception) through May 17, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph — Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, its business plan is dependent on the completion of a financing and the Company’s cash and working capital as of May 17, 2021 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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/Friedman LLP
Friedman LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
New York, NY
June 8, 2021, except for Note 3 which is dated July 20, 2021, and Notes 1 and 7 which are dated September 7, 2021
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
BALANCE SHEET
MAY 17, 2021
Assets | | | |
Deferred offering costs | | $ | 74,537 | |
Total Assets | | $ | 74,537 | |
| | | | |
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | | | | |
Promissory note - related party | | $ | 53,010 | |
Total Current Liabilities | | | 53,010 | |
| | | | |
Commitments and Contingencies | | | | |
| | | | |
Shareholder’s Equity: | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | - | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | - | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 2,156,250 shares issued and outstanding (1)(2) | | | 216 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 24,784 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (3,473 | ) |
Total Shareholder’s Equity | | | 21,527 | |
Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | | $ | 74,537 | |
| (1) | This number includes up to 281,250 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5). |
| (2) | Gives retroactive effect to additional 1,006,250 shares issue to Sponsor at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization on November 8, 2021. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 9, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH MAY 17, 2021
Formation costs | | $ | 3,473 | |
Net loss | | $ | (3,473 | ) |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding (1)(2) | | | 1,875,000 | |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary share | | $ | (0.00 | ) |
| (1) | This number excludes up to 281,250 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5). |
| (2) | Gives retroactive effect to additional 1,006,250 shares issue to Sponsor at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization on November 8, 2021. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 9, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH MAY 17, 2021
| | Preference shares | | | Ordinary Shares | | | Additional | | | | | | Total | |
| | | | | | | | Class A | | | Class B | | | Paid-in | | | Accumulated | | | Shareholder’s | |
| | Shares | | | Amount | | | Shares | | | Amount | | | Shares | | | Amount | | | Capital | | | Deficit | | | Equity | |
Balance as of April 9, 2021 (inception) | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | - | | | $ | - | | | $ | - | | | $ | - | | | $ | - | |
Founder shares issued to initial shareholder (1) | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 2,300,000 | | | | 230 | | | | 24,770 | | | | - | | | | 25,000 | |
Surrender of Founder shares | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (1,150,000 | ) | | | (115 | ) | | | 115 | | | | - | | | | - | |
Additional Founder shares issued(2) | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 1,006,250 | | | | 101 | | | | (101 | ) | | | - | | | | - | |
Net loss | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (3,473 | ) | | | (3,473 | ) |
Balance as of May 17, 2021 | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | - | | | $ | - | | | | 2,156,250 | | | $ | 216 | | | $ | 24,784 | | | $ | (3,473 | ) | | $ | 21,527 | |
| (1) | This number includes up to 281,250 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5). |
| (2) | Gives retroactive effect to additional 1,006,250 shares issue to Sponsor at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization on November 8, 2021. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 9, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH MAY 17, 2021
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (3,473 | ) |
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities | | | (3,473 | ) |
| | | | |
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | | | | |
Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares to initial shareholders | | | 25,000 | |
Payment of deferred offering costs | | | (21,527 | ) |
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities | | | 3,473 | |
| | | | |
Net Change in Cash | | | - | |
| | | | |
Cash, April 9, 2021 (inception) | | | - | |
Cash, May 17, 2021 | | $ | - | |
| | | | |
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: | | | | |
Deferred offering costs paid by promissory note - related party | | $ | 53,010 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
JADE VALUE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 – Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration
Jade Value Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”), formerly known as Apollo Acquisition Corporation, is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 9, 2021. Pursuant to a special resolution of the sole shareholder of the Company dated July 23, 2021, Apollo Acquisition Corporation changed its name to Jade Value Acquisition Corporation. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company has not selected any Business Combination target and it has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target with respect to the Business Combination. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
As of May 17, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. For the period from April 9, 2021 (inception) through May 17, 2021, the Company’s efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). 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 Proposed Public Offering.
The Company’s founder and sponsor, Jade Value Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Island company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering,” see Note 3) and a private placement of placement units to the initial shareholder (the “Private Placement,” see Note 4).
The Company’s initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company 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 complete a Business Combination successfully.
Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds of the sale of the private shares, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) maintained by Wilmington Trust, National Association as a trustee and invested the proceeds in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (a) the completion of the initial Business Combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if it does not complete the initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity and (c) the redemption of the Company’s public shares if it is unable to complete the Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), 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 shareholders.
The ordinary shares subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. The Company will have only 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) to complete the initial Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company 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 the Company for working capital purposes or to pay the Company’s taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 the Company’s remaining shareholders and its board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination within the 18-month time period.
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of Founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (ii) the Company’s initial shareholders have entered into an agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed to (A) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (B) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (a) modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of the Company’s public shares in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus) and (b) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (C) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their Founder shares if w the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months, if we extend the time we need to complete a business combination as described in this prospectus), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within such time period, and (iii) the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares and/or underlying Class A ordinary shares upon conversion and holders of Class B ordinary shares have exclusive rights to elect or remove directors prior to the closing of our initial business combination; and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. The Company’s first amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not restrict the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares prior to the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, however, our sponsor as the sole holder of Class B ordinary shares prior to the effectives of the Registration Statement, has committed not to convert any Class B ordinary shares. The Company will adopt its first amended and restatement memorandum and articles of association immediately prior to or upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, pursuant to which, Class B ordinary share will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, on one-for-one basis (subject to adjustments for share dividend, share split, recapitalization, reorganization and the like). If the Company submits its initial Business Combination to its public shareholders for a vote, its founder has agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote their Founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of its initial Business Combination. The other members of the Company’s management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by the Company’s Sponsor with respect to any public shares acquired by them in or after this offering.
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 by a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 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 the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then the Company’s Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims.
Going Concern Consideration
As of May 17, 2021, the Company had a working capital deficiency of $53,010. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering are discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. On April 16, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount of $500,000 as discussed in Note 5 to be used, in part, for transaction costs incurred in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the Company’s inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or a Business Combination to continue as a going concern.
Note 2 – Significant accounting policies
Basis of Presentation
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 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 shareholder 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 an 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.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 281,250 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). At May 17, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
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 accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position 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. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition.
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 May 17, 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 determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction.
The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal and state 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 and state 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.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands for the period from April 9, 2021 (inception) through May 17, 2021.
Warrants
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own ordinary shares and whether the warrant holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.
For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Note 3 – Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 7,500,000 Units, (or 8,625,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share, one-half of one redeemable warrant and one right to purchase one-tenth of one Class A ordinary share. The Company will not issue fractional shares. As a result, the warrants must be exercised in multiples of one whole warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, and only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, and will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
Note 4 – Private Placement
The Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 320,000 private shares (or 342,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per share (approximately $3,200,000 in the aggregate or $3,425,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The private shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to limited exceptions. However, the holder of the private shares will be entitled to registration rights. In addition, these private shares may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of the Company’s Business Combination.
Note 5 – Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On April 16, 2021, the Sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares (“Founder shares”) of for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, the Sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 Class B ordinary shares.
As of May 17, 2021, there were 1,150,000 Founder Shares issued and outstanding, among which, up to 150,000 Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised. The aggregate capital contribution was $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. On November 8, 2021, the Company effectuated a capitalization of shares in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so the Sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 Founder Shares at no additional consideration. All shares and per share amounts used herein and in the accompanying financial statements have been retroactively restated to reflect the nominal share issuance.
The number of Founder Shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such Founder Shares would represent 20% of the number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding shares upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering. The Class B ordinary shares will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. Under our current memorandum and articles of association, holders of Class B ordinary shares may convert their shares into Class A ordinary shares at the option of the holders. However, we do not expect that holders of Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares prior to the adoption of the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, except that, to the extent necessary, they may convert their Class B ordinary shares in part or in full upon the effectiveness of this prospectus in order for the Company to meet the initial listing standards of NASDAQ Global Market to list our securities, particularly the market value of listed securities standard which requires the market value of listed securities is no less than $50 million. In the event that holders of Class B ordinary shares convert any of their Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares, for the shares converted, they will no longer have the rights as holders of Class B ordinary shares, but rather the rights as holders of Class A ordinary shares, provided that such Class A ordinary shares remain as founder shares and subject to the same limitations and restrictions as the Founder shares.
The Sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell 50% of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or (B) the date on which the closing price of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividend, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after the Company’s initial Business Combination and the remaining 50% of the Founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial Business Combination, or earlier. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the Company’s initial shareholders with respect to any Founder shares.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On April 16, 2021, the Sponsor has agreed to loan the Company up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering. As of May 17, 2021, the Company has an outstanding loan balance of $53,010. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of (1) December 31, 2021 or (2) the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the Trust Account.
Related Party Loans
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial 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 and/or fund its extension if the Company needs additional time to complete a business combination. If the Company completes the initial Business Combination, it would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $3,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The shares would be identical to the private placement Class A ordinary share, subject to similar limited restrictions as compared to the units sold in this offering. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment.
As of May 17, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the working capital loans.
Note 6 – Commitments & Contingencies
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, private placement units private shares, (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of related party loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering, requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company registers such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriters Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 1,125,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
The Company expects to pay an underwriting discount of 2.00% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) to the underwriters at the closing of the Proposed Offering.
Note 7 – Shareholder’s Equity
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preference shares with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of May 17, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of May 17, 2021, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. On April 16, 2021, the Company issued 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor. On May 11, the Sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 ordinary shares. Of the 1,150,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, an aggregate of up to 150,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial shareholders will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the Private Placement Shares and assuming the initial shareholders do not purchase any shares in the Proposed Public Offering) (See Note 3). On November 8, 2021, the Sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 Founder Shares at no additional consideration by way of a share capitalization in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, including up to 281,250 shares of the Founder Shares subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised. All shares and per share amounts used herein and in the accompanying financial statements have been retroactively restated to reflect the nominal share issuance.
Holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders, except as required by law or stock exchange rule; provided that only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the election of the Company’s directors prior to the initial Business Combination and holders of a majority of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
The Company will adopt its first amended and restated memorandum and articles of association upon effectiveness of this prospectus, pursuant to which the Class B ordinary shares will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the closing of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The Class B ordinary shares will only automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on the closing of the initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering, plus a total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination.
Warrants — Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary share. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
As of May 17, 2021, no warrants were outstanding.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of its initial Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b) (1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event it so elect, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may call the warrants for redemption:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $16.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
Rights— Except in cases where the Company is not the surviving company in a business combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. In the event we will not be the surviving company upon completion of our initial business combination, each registered holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the kind and amount of securities or properties of the surviving entity that each one-tenth (1/10) of one Class A ordinary share underlying each right is entitled to receive upon consummation of the business combination. The Company will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Cayman Islands law, or the Companies Act.
As of May 17, 2021, the Company has not issued any rights.
Note 8 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date of the report when the financial statements were issued. Based on this review, other than the 1,006,250 shares issued to Founder that has been reflected in the financial statements, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would require adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
Lead Book-Running Manager | Joint Book-Running Manager |
| |
Tiger Brokers | EF Hutton Group |
| division of Benchmark Investments, LLC |
, 2021
Until , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) will be as follows:
Legal fees and expenses | | $ | 300,000 | |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | 75,000 | |
SEC registration fee | | | 9,625 | |
FINRA filing fee | | | 14,732 | |
Nasdaq listing fees | | | 50,000 | |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | 35,000 | |
Director and Officer liability insurance premiums(1) | | | 400,000 | |
Miscellaneous expenses | | | 165,643 | |
Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions) | | $ | 1,050,000 | |
(1) | This amount represents the approximate amount of annual director and officer liability insurance premiums the registrant anticipates paying following the completion of its initial public offering and until it completes a business combination. |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
We will enter into indemnity agreements with each of our officers and directors, a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Cayman Islands law and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On April 16, 2021, Jade Value Holdings Limited, our sponsor acquired 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 1,150,000 founder shares. On November 8, 2021, we effectuated a share capitalization in connection with upsizing of the offering from $40 million to $75 million, so our sponsor was issued additional 1,006,250 founder shares at no additional consideration. As a result, our sponsor acquired 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, among which, up to 281,250 founder shares are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of this offering. Such securities were issued to our founders in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor has committed to transfer an aggregated amount of 60,000 founder shares to our officers, directors and their designees prior to the closing of the offering at the original purchase price.
In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase from us an aggregate of 320,000 (or 342,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private shares at $10.00 per share (for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3,200,000 (or $3,425,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)). These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously this offering. The issuance will be made to our founders pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | Exhibits. The list of exhibits following the signature page of this registration statement is incorporated herein by reference. |
| (b) | Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser. |
| (b) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
| (c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
| (1) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| (2) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
EXHIBIT INDEX
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form S-1 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Beijing, China, on the 17th day of November, 2021.
| Jade Value Acquisition Corporation |
| |
| By: | /s/ Bin (Brian) Lin |
| | Bin (Brian) Lin Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Bin (Brian) Lin and Yang (Shayla) Sun as true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including post-effective amendments to this registration statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | | Position | | Date |
| | | | |
/s/ Bin (Brian) Lin | | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board | | November 17, 2021 |
Bin (Brian) Lin | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Yang (Shayla) Sun | | President and Director | | November 17, 2021 |
Yang (Shayla) Sun | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Zhiyong (Ben) Li | | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer) | | November 17, 2021 |
Zhiyong (Ben) Li | | | | |
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 6(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement on Form S-1 has been signed on behalf of the registrant by the undersigned, solely in her capacity as the duly authorized representative of the registrant in the United States, on November 17, 2021.
| By: | /s/ Arila Zhou |
| | Name: | Arila Zhou |
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