As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 12, 2021
Registration No. 333-259773
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_________________
Amendment No. 1
To
Form S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
_________________
Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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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) |
533 Airport Blvd
Suite 400
Burlingame, CA 94010
Telephone: (619) 736-6855
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
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Eric Benhamou
Chief Executive Officer
c/o Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp.
533 Airport Blvd
Suite 400
Burlingame, CA 94010
Telephone: (619) 736-6855
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
_________________
Copies to:
Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq. Stuart Neuhauser, Esq. Lijia Sanchez, Esq. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10105 (212) 370-1300 | | David Alan Miller, Esq. Jeffrey M. Gallant, Esq. Graubard Miller The Chrysler Building 405 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10174 Tel: (212) 818-8800 |
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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. ☐
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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 |
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one half of one redeemable warrant(2) | | 28,750,000 | | $ | 10.00 | | $ | 287,500,000 | | $ | 31,366.25 | |
Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(3) | | 28,750,000 | | | — | | | — | | | — | (4) |
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3) | | 14,375,000 | | | — | | | — | | | — | (4) |
Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3) | | 14,375,000 | | $ | 11.50 | | | 165,312,500 | | | 18,035.59 | |
Total | | | | | | | $ | 452,812,500 | | $ | 49,401.84 | (5) |
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.
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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 soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS | | SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED OCTOBER 12, 2021 |
$250,000,000
Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp.
25,000,000 Units
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Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp. is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one of our Class A ordinary shares and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable and will trade. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 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 completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any shareholder approved extension period, 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 (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, ENT4.0 Technology Sponsor LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company, and the underwriters have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (600,000 placement units by our sponsor and 100,000 placement units by the underwriters), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000. Each placement unit will be identical to the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. We refer to these units as the placement units throughout this prospectus. In addition, our sponsor has agreed to lend us $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) as of the closing date of this offering at no interest, which we refer to as our sponsor loan. The proceeds of the sponsor loan will be added to the trust account described below and the sponsor loan will be repaid or converted into sponsor loan units at a conversion price of $10.00 per unit, at the sponsor’s discretion, at any time up until the consummation of an initial business combination, as discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.
Prior to this offering, our initial holders held 7,187,500 founder shares (up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board for any reason. In addition, in a vote to transfer our company by way of continuation out of the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of our company in such other jurisdiction) prior to our initial business combination, which requires the approval of a special resolution, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share and, as a result, our sponsor will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended (i) prior to the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of the votes cast by the holders of issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote (as more fully set out below), or (ii) in connection with and immediately prior to the completion of an initial business combination or following the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We have applied to list our units on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “ENTFU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Mizuho Securities USA LLC, acting as representatives of the underwriters, inform us of their 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 and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ENTF” and “ENTFW,” respectively.
We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 34. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
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| | Price to Public | | Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) | | Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
Per Unit | | $ | 10.00 | | $ | 0.55 | | $ | 9.45 | |
Total | | $ | 250,000,000 | | $ | 13,750,000 | | $ | 236,250,000 | (2) |
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The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about , 2021.
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.
No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
Joint Book-Running Managers
The date of this prospectus is , 2021
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SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, references to:
• “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company;
• “amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to our memorandum and articles of association to be in effect upon completion of this offering;
• “Cantor” are to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and “Mizuho” are to Mizuho Securities USA LLC, the representatives of the underwriters in this offering;
• “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;
• “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and, unless the context otherwise requires, our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein;
• “initial holders” are to the holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;
• “letter agreement” refers to the letter agreement executed with our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part;
• “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors (including our director nominees that will become directors in connection with the completion with this offering);
• “ordinary resolution” are to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the Company and entitled to vote on such matter or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter;
• “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares;
• “placement shares” are to the 700,000 Class A ordinary shares included within the placement units being purchased by our sponsor and the underwriters in the private placement, as well as any shares that may be included in additional units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the sponsor loan as described herein;
• “placement units” are to the 700,000 units being purchased by our sponsor and the underwriters in the private placement, each placement unit consisting of one placement share and one-half of one placement warrant, as well as any units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the sponsor loan as described herein;
• “placement warrants” are to redeemable warrants to purchase an aggregate of 350,000 of our Class A ordinary shares included within the placement units being purchased by our sponsor and the underwriters in the private placement, as well as any warrants that may be included in additional units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the sponsor loan as described herein;
• “private placement” refers to the private placement of 700,000 units being purchased by our sponsor and the underwriters, which will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering, at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $7.0 million;
• “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares offered as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
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• “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares;
• “public warrants” are to the redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or in the open market);
• “special resolution” is to a resolution of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution at a general meeting as a special resolution has been duly given and such resolution is adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority (or such higher threshold as specified in the Company’s amended and restated articles of association) of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the Company and entitled to vote on such matter or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter;
• “sponsor” are to ENT4.0 Technology Sponsor LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company;
• “sponsor loan” are to the loan our sponsor will be making to us simultaneously with the closing of this offering;
• “sponsor loan units” are to the units that may be issued to our sponsor upon conversion of the sponsor loan as described herein;
• “sponsor loan shares” are to the shares underlying the sponsor loan units;
• “sponsor loan warrants” are to the warrants underlying the sponsor loan units; and
• “warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which include the public warrants as well as the placement warrants.
All references in this prospectus to shares of the company being forfeited shall take effect as surrenders 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 dividend described in this prospectus will take effect as a share capitalization as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Registered trademarks referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. 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.
Our Company
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company, on May 3, 2021, for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. This is referred to as our initial business combination. We intend to focus our search for prospects within the technology industry along the trendlines set by Enterprise 4.0 companies (as defined below). Our ability to locate a potential target is subject to the uncertainties and risks discussed within this prospectus.
Digital transformation is a profound and sweeping trend disrupting enterprises globally, both large and small, along several dimensions — information, processes and workflows, people’s roles and locations, and platforms. Enterprises — even the laggards — are going digital in order to survive. This results in an explosion of data and insights that enterprises can use to improve customer engagement, productivity, Environmental Social Governance (“ESG”) and ultimately profits. Process transformations result not only from the adoption of modern collaboration tools and newer engagement mediums like voice and video, but also from the reinvention of the software development process itself. Global enterprises are able to react faster to customer demands and not only maintain relevance but gain market share. The adoption of cloud-based subscription models and the democratization of machine learning and artificial intelligence technology have revolutionized a broad range of enterprise product categories as they harness the power of voice and natural language processing, computer vision and robotics.
These advances are driven by a new generation of cloud native companies characterized by the innovative way in which they leverage large new data sets and artificial intelligence algorithms. These data sets have grown rapidly due to the proliferation of smart sensors of all kinds (e.g. biometric sensors and smart cameras) and of digital signals
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produced by customers over the Internet as they engage with merchants and purchase goods and services. We refer to these companies as Enterprise 4.0 companies — a new wave of cloud native companies that combine artificial intelligence, intelligent automation and proprietary access to data to deliver actionable insights for enterprise businesses. These business-to-business (“B2B”) companies provide full stack products in the form of vertical solutions, programmable cloud infrastructure or cloud native security innovations to generate immediate business value and significant return on investment improvements for their customers. We expect Enterprise 4.0 companies to enjoy rapid growth and demonstrate shareholder value creation.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further strengthened the business case behind Enterprise 4.0 companies. The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted the workplace environment, causing hundreds of millions of workers to carry out their work from home and adopt a new set of digital collaboration tools in the process. It has taught businesses to operate with a far more distributed workforce and a reduced office footprint. It has also accelerated the growth of e-commerce and digital marketing, while causing manufacturers to re-engineer their supply chains and improve their systems of logistical delivery. It has made us embrace remote learning in all forms, including employee training and reskilling, degreed programs, apprenticeships and conferences. It has also caused businesses to digitize their marketing, selling and customer support processes and reduce their dependencies on the traditional methods of the physical world. It is even changing the ways in which we deliver healthcare services and treatments. The resulting acceleration in new digital product development is broadening the role of software development and IT operations (“DevOps”) platforms and increasing the interest in low-code and no-code platforms to enable rapid application development and continuous delivery. These disruptions can have lasting changes on how we interact with the world. As the world struggles to recover from the pandemic shock, we have found ways to work, learn and play that did not seem possible only two years ago. Most of these advances stem from the innovations in technology, product, services and business models of Enterprise 4.0 companies. We seek to capitalize on the value creation potential of this class of companies.
Investors have embraced this expanding opportunity and aggressively funded this new generation of companies at their inception. According to PitchBook in their Venture Monitor Report, $69 billion was deployed into VC-backed companies in Q1 2021, an increase of 92.6% compared to the previous year’s first quarter investments. Much of the growth in recent quarters was focused on late-stage investments, a trend that may be the harbinger of a surge in activity to achieve liquidity including through special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) such as our company.
The combination of digital transformations like those catalyzed by Enterprise 4.0 companies with abundant capital and low interest rates has led to what we believe are significant opportunities for such companies to go public via a combination with a SPAC. The Nasdaq and NYSE host more than 300 publicly traded technology US companies with a market capitalization exceeding $1 billion as of May 27, 2021. However, much of the attention from press and investors has been on “mega-corns” — private companies valued significantly more than $1 billion. This has made the IPO route less accessible for many companies causing the number of technology company IPOs to dwindle. An average of 160 technology companies went public each year during the 1990s. Since 2010, that annual average has plummeted; in 2019 and 2020, there were only 37 and 42 technology IPOs, respectively. We believe that the increase in private capital from venture capital and private equity firms has prolonged the time that companies stay private and delayed their entrance into the public markets.
As a result, the number of private companies globally valued at more than $1 billion has soared from 167 in 2018 to 750 as of July 8, 2021, according to PitchBook/CB Insights. However, exit paths for private companies remain limited as today’s diminished IPO market has predominantly backed large unicorns, with the median market capitalization of a venture-backed IPO increasing from $538 million in 2010 to over $4.6 billion in 2020.
In spite of the focus on “mega-corns,” our management team believes a larger number of equally impressive companies with valuations between $500 million and $2.5 billion, with a sweet spot of $1 billion to $2 billion, provide excellent growth and shareholder value creation opportunities. These companies may not elicit the headline-grabbing attention of the “mega-corns”; nevertheless, we believe that they too can boast remarkable economic performance, outstanding key metrics and deep management talent and carry potential for substantial financial upside for our investors.
We believe the surge of interest for technology companies to go public through a SPAC merger is justified and hails the start of a long-lasting trend. These changes have profound effects on which technology companies will prevail on Wall Street and on Main Street. The traditional IPO path for technology companies appears to be diminished for many high-quality businesses that should have access to public equity capital. We believe that financial sponsors of high-growth technology companies will continue to seek alternatives to access the public
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markets. SPACs have emerged recently as credible vehicles to address the growing problem of a constrained IPO funnel. While the sudden surge in the popularity of SPACs has raised concerns with regulators and while ill-conceived SPACs led by poorly prepared managers may fail to deliver on their promise, we strongly believe that this surge will be followed by a flight to quality and that well-targeted SPACs led by experienced managers will thrive. A study by Wolfe Research indicates that SPACs led by experienced operators tend to outperform those led by non-experienced operators. Investors in experienced operator-led SPACs saw an approximate 23% return 365 days post-merger while investors in non-experienced operator-led SPACs saw an approximate (20%) return over the same period using data from 2019 to June 22, 2021. As a team of experienced operators, we are aligned with this trend and intend to evaluate the best risk-reward opportunity to create sustainable long-term shareholder value.
Our Management Team
Our management team members stand apart in at least three ways: (1) they are seasoned technology operators who have worked together and created substantial public shareholder value over several decades; (2) they operate at the epicenter of the Enterprise 4.0 technology revolution and have access to a large and high quality deal flow of venture-backed companies by virtue of the professional networks of many team members in the venture capital industry, and (3) they have proven experience with SPACs. Our CEO understands the SPAC vehicle and has demonstrated an ability to raise capital, identify high quality targets, complete a transaction, and create value post de-SPAC.
Our management team is spearheaded by our Chief Executive Officer, Eric Benhamou, our Chief Financial Officer, Christopher Paisley, our Chief Operating Officer, Ron Sege, and our Chief Acquisition Officer, Yashwanth Hemaraj.
Eric Benhamou, our Chief Executive Officer and a director, founded and served as President and Chief Financial Officer for ChaSerg Technology Acquisition Corp (formerly Nasdaq: CTAC), a SPAC which completed its initial public offering in October 2018, generating gross proceeds of $220 million. In March 2020, CTAC completed its initial business combination with Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”). Grid Dynamics is a driver of enterprise-level digital transformation in the Fortune 1000, developing next generation solutions in artificial intelligence, data science, cloud computing, Big Data and DevOps to accelerate enterprise digitization for its clients across the financial, technology and retail sectors. Mr. Benhamou has been a director of Grid Dynamics since 2015.
Mr. Benhamou co-founded Bridge Communications, a specialist in computer network technologies, which completed its IPO in 1985 and merged with 3Com Corporation (formerly Nasdaq: COMS) (“3Com”), a networking equipment vendor, in 1987. Thereafter, Mr. Benhamou became Chief Executive Officer of 3Com, serving from 1990 to 2000, and as chairman until 2010. During his tenure as CEO of 3Com, stock price increased by over 90x and revenue grew to over $5 billion. As 3Com’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Benhamou led the company in acquiring US Robotics, the owner of Palm, Inc. (“Palm”), the maker of the groundbreaking Palm Pilot. Palm was thereafter spun off in an IPO in March 2000 (formerly Nasdaq: PALM), and Mr. Benhamou served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2003. Mr. Benhamou continued to serve as Chairman of both 3Com and Palm until their eventual sale to Hewlett Packard in 2010. In 2004, Mr. Benhamou founded Benhamou Global Ventures (“BGV”), a venture firm now investing in Enterprise 4.0 companies, a new wave of cloud native startups that combine artificial intelligence, intelligent automation and proprietary access to data to transform enterprise businesses globally. Since 2004, BGV’s investments into technology companies have resulted in 18 successful company sales, including the sale in 2020 of Ayehu Software Technologies Ltd., an IT workflow automation solution provider, to Insight Partners, a global private equity and venture capital firm, the sale in 2019 of IdentityMind Global Inc., an identity-based platform for e-commerce, to Acuant, an identity verification global solutions provider, and the sale in 2019 of Profitect Inc., a retail and consumer packaged goods prescriptive analytics provider, to Zebra Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a data capture and automatic identification enterprise solutions provider, as well as several IPOs, including Voltaire Ltd., Finjan Holdings Inc. and Grid Dynamics.
Mr. Benhamou has served on the board of directors of Grid Dynamics (Nasdaq: GDYN) as the Chair of the Compensation Committee since 2015 and has also served on the board of directors as the Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee since 2004 of Silicon Valley Bank (Nasdaq: SIVB), a technology-focused commercial bank. Previously, Mr. Benhamou served as a member of the board of directors of Finjan Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: FNJN), a leader in cybersecurity, from 2013 until July 2020 and as a member of the board of directors of Cypress Semiconductor (formerly Nasdaq: CY), a semiconductor design and manufacturing company, and served
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as Chairman for over a decade until 2017. Mr. Benhamou also serves on the board of directors for multiple private companies. Mr. Benhamou has also taught entrepreneurship in various business schools around the world for over 10 years, principally at INSEAD, Stanford University and IDC’s Herzliya’s Arison School of Business, where he was a visiting professor. Mr. Benhamou also served on the Advisory Board of Stanford University’s School of Engineering and the Board of Governors of Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.
Christopher Paisley, our Chief Financial Officer and a director nominee, has served as Dean’s Executive Professor of Accounting at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University since January 2001. Prior to academia, Mr. Paisley served as the Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer for 3Com from 1985 to 2000. During Mr. Paisley’s 15 years at 3Com, the company grew from $50 million to over $5 billion in sales, ranking in the top 300 on the May 2000 Fortune 500 list. Prior to joining 3Com, Mr. Paisley served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Ridge Computers, a scientific workstation manufacturer, from 1982 to 1985. Previously, Mr. Paisley was employed by Hewlett-Packard Company, a global hardware and software technology company, for five years in a variety of accounting and finance positions.
Mr. Paisley has extensive public company board experience and currently serves on multiple public companies’ board of directors, including serving as the Lead Independent Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, and as a member of the Finance, Governance and Real Estate Committees at Equinix Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), a global digital infrastructure company, since 2007; as Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Nominating and Governance Committee at Ambarella Inc. (Nasdaq: AMBA), a developer of low-power system-on-a-chip semiconductors, since 2012; and as Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Nominating and Governance Committee on the Board at Fastly Inc. (NYSE: FSLY), a cloud computing company offering a programmable edge cloud platform for developers as a service, since 2018. Previously, Mr. Paisley has served on numerous boards of public companies, eight of which he joined while private that subsequently went through a successful IPO. Mr. Paisley served as Chairman of the Board at Silicon Image and Volterra Semiconductor Corporation and as Lead Independent Director at Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) and Control 4. Mr. Paisley also served as a board member of 3Par, Applied Digital Access, Aspect Telecommunications, Bridge Bank, Brocade, Electronics for Imaging, Fitbit, Legato Systems, Persistence Software, Riverstone Networks, WJ Communications and YuMe.
Ron Sege, our Chief Operating Officer, brings over 35 years of experience in the telecommunications, data communications and online search industries. Mr. Sege has been a Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures since 2018. Prior to BGV, from 2011 to through 2018, Mr. Sege served as Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Echelon Corporation (Nasdaq: ELON) (“Echelon”), a pioneering developer and supplier of Industrial Internet of Things semiconductors and control solutions. During his tenure at Echelon, Mr. Sege divested unprofitable businesses and oversaw acquisitions of growth businesses and the sale of Echelon to Adesto Technologies. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Sege served as President and Chief Operating Officer of 3Com where he oversaw all non-China product development, sales and support operations. During his tenure as President and Chief Operating Officer of 3Com, Mr. Sege consolidated product operations to improve profitability and led the expansion of target markets to include data center networking solutions. Mr. Sege engineered and promoted 3Com’s “China out” strategy that led to the $2.7 billion acquisition of 3Com by Hewlett-Packard, an acquisition resulting in more than 230% stock price appreciation for 3Com shareholders over Mr. Sege’s tenure as COO. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Sege was Chief Executive Officer and a director for Tropos Networks, a venture capital backed company pioneering wireless RF mesh solutions for creating private WiFi networks over large outdoor areas, which was later acquired by ABB (NYSE: ABB) in 2012. Prior to Tropos Networks, Mr. Sege served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Ellacoya Networks from 2001 to 2004, which developed and sold carrier-grade deep packet inspection (DPI) bandwidth management solutions into the competitive local exchange carrier marketplace. Ellacoya Networks, which was privately held, was acquired by Arbor Networks in 2008. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Sege was Executive Vice President of Lycos, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: LCOS), where he oversaw all product operations and marketing and integrated numerous acquisitions. In 2000, Lycos was acquired by Terra Networks, the internet arm of Telefonica, for $12.5 billion. Prior to Lycos, Mr. Sege held a variety of executive positions at 3Com and ROLM Corporation (NYSE: ROLM), where he integrated numerous acquisitions.
Mr. Sege has extensive public and private company board experience and currently serves as the Lead Independent Director at Ubiquiti Networks (NYSE: UI) since 2012, a developer of wide- and local-area wireless network solutions, as the Executive Chairman for Virtana, a privately held AIOps leader for enterprise hybrid cloud transformation and as a board member for EverestLabs.AI, a privately held artificial intelligence and robotics company focused on waste management. Mr. Sege has also served since 2016 as an advisor to McRock Capital, an early stage venture capital firm focused on the technology space based out of Toronto, Canada.
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Yashwanth Hemaraj, our Chief Acquisition Officer, has served as a Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures since 2014. Mr. Hemaraj co-founded in 2018 and leads the operations of Arka Venture Labs, a cross-border accelerator platform for India-based B2B companies to scale globally. Mr. Hemaraj is a product leader with expertise in wireless systems, software, telecommunications, cloud services, and cybersecurity. Prior to his tenure at BGV, from 2008 to 2013, Mr. Hemaraj was one of the first engineers and a product manager at SpiderCloud Wireless, a venture-backed startup building indoor wireless systems which was acquired by Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) in 2017. Mr. Hemaraj serves as a director on multiple privately-held enterprise technology companies’ Boards of Directors, including Macrometa Corporation, an edge computing service and global data network provider since 2017, AiDash Inc., a software provider enabling satellite-powered operations and maintenance since 2020, Folloze Inc., an account based marketing engagement platform since 2019, Tagnos, Inc., a workflow orchestration software provider for hospitals and healthcare workers since 2018, and as a Board Observer at 6d Bytes Inc., a food robotics company since 2018 and BoostUp.ai, which offers connected software for revenue teams since 2020. Mr. Hemaraj previously served on the board of directors for Totango Inc., a customer success software company. Mr. Hemaraj is also a fellow of the Startup Leadership Program, Silicon Valley, a training program and professional network for the next generation of founders and entrepreneurs and has served on the Board for multiple non-profit organizations, including United Way Silicon Valley from 2011 to 2013, a nonprofit that focuses on education, income, and health projects.
In addition, our board of directors consists of a diverse group of executive operators, seasoned investors and experienced counsel. Our board of directors upon the completion of this offering will include:
Kim Le who will serve as Chair of the Audit Committee, brings over 25 years of experience in public accounting, internal auditing and building businesses. In 2003, Ms. Le founded and continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer of A2Q2 Corporation (“A2Q2”), a global Special Ops firm which assists growth tech companies in designing, implementing and scaling business processes, ERP systems and internal controls to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Some of Ms. Le’s noteworthy clients have included Airbnb (Nasdaq: ABNB), Chargepoint (NYSE: CHPT), Fastly (NYSE: FSLY), Proterra (Nasdaq: PTRA), Square (NYSE: SQ) and Uber (NYSE: UBER). In addition to her role at A2Q2, in 2018 Ms. Le founded and continues to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Directors League Inc., a peer-to-peer community of corporate directors who currently serve on the boards of publicly traded companies. Ms. Le has an extensive background in advising boards of directors, audit committees and C-level executives on matters related to corporate governance and internal audit, and also in 2020 founded and serves as Chief Executive Officer for SASI Robotics, Inc., a Robotics Process Automation as a service company. Prior to founding A2Q2, Ms. Le served as a Senior Manager at Protiviti from 2002 to 2003, and from 1994 to 2002, she led financial statement audits, IPOs, revenue recognition and M&A due diligence as a manager at Arthur Andersen. Ms. Le is the recipient of the National Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award by Financial Executives International and the Trailblazer Award by the California Society of CPAs. Ms. Le has served on the Board of GSI Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIT), a provider of semiconductor memory solutions since 2020.
Sudhakar Ramakrishna is a global technology leader with nearly 25 years of experience across cloud, mobility, networking, security, and collaboration markets. Since January 2021, Mr. Ramakrishna has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SolarWinds Corporation (NYSE: SWI ) (“SolarWinds”), a software solution provider that helps businesses manage their network, systems and information technology infrastructure. Prior to SolarWinds, from 2015 to 2020, Mr. Ramakrishna served as the CEO of Pulse Secure, LLC, a provider of secure and zero trust access solutions for Hybrid IT environments, where he was responsible for all aspects of business strategy and execution. Prior to Pulse Secure, Mr. Ramakrishna served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Enterprise and Service Provider Division at Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS ) (“Citrix”), where he had responsibility for Citrix’s portfolio of virtualization, cloud networking, mobile platforms, and cloud services solutions. Mr. Ramakrishna also has held senior leadership roles at Polycom, Motorola, and 3Com. Mr. Ramakrishna has served on the board of directors for SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SAIL), a leading enterprise identity security provider since June 2021.
Mona Sabet is a technology business executive with over 25 years of experience in technology transactions, acquisitions, technology ecosystem, software business models and corporate finance for small and large technology companies. Ms. Sabet has served as Chief Corporate Strategy Officer at UserTesting, a privately backed San Francisco-based company powering exceptional customer experiences through on-demand human insights since 2019. Prior to that, from 2016 to 2019, Ms. Sabet was a Managing Director at Tribal Advisors, a consulting and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for software and systems companies, where she advised early-stage technology companies on their growth and exit strategies. Prior to Tribal Advisors, Ms. Sabet served as Corporate Vice President, Business Development from 2010 to 2013 at Cadence Design
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Systems (Nasdaq: CDNS) (“Cadence”), a leader in electronic design software and hardware, where she led mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions and venture investments, delivering tens of millions of dollars in incremental revenue. Ms. Sabet also defined Cadence’s acquisition and partnership strategy, enabling the company to expand into adjacent growth markets. Ms. Sabet has also been an operator in two early-stage startups: Coverity, which led the market in the automation of the identification of software vulnerabilities, and Viblio, which pioneered automated tagging of user generated videos using machine learning and computer vision. Ms. Sabet is a board member and an advisor to a number of technology startups and accelerators, including as a director for Taiga Robotics Corporation, a robotics company. Ms. Sabet serves on the Advisory Board of the Women in Data Science conference and datathon and spent a decade serving on the board of ChIPs Network, which works to advance discussions at the intersection of law, technology and policy. Ms. Sabet led the strategy and implementation as a General Manager at the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology that brought the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest annual convention of women technologists, from 8,000 to 15,000 attendees in two years. Ms. Sabet is also the founder of and a member of HiPower, a group of leaders championing women who drive big changes.
Judith Sim who will serve as Chair of the Compensation Committee is a Chief Marketing Officer with broad executive leadership and governance experience. During Ms. Sim’s tenure at Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), one of the largest global software providers known for database management systems, she served as Chief of Staff to the Office of the CEO and was Chief Marketing Officer from 2005 through 2020. Ms. Sim was responsible for global marketing, customer programs, sports marketing, brand and media communications for more than 15 years. Throughout her career with Oracle, she was able to help scale the company from $1 billion in annual revenue in 1991 to a reported $39 billion in 2020. Ms. Sim was often a featured speaker at Oracle events and industry conferences, delivering the opening Oracle OpenWorld keynote for more than 10 years, and she gave the keynote address at Oracle Modern Customer Experience about data, modern marketing and delivering experiences that drive emotion. Ms. Sim was also featured in discussions at Oracle’s College Hire Program, a series aimed at familiarizing new engineering graduates with Oracle’s culture, strategy and values. Since 2015, Ms. Sim has been a member of the board of directors at Fortinet Inc. (Nasdaq: FTNT), a provider of cybersecurity solutions, as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee and a member of the Corporate Governance and ESG Committees. Ms. Sim is also on the board of directors for First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA), a global provider of technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety and compliance related to human capital, as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Sim has experience on private and non-profit boards, serving on the board of directors for DataStax, a venture-backed data management company, and having served as a member of the board of directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce from 2015 to 2020. In 2015 and 2016, the San Francisco Business Times named Ms. Sim one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business”.
We believe our management team reflects not just gender and racial diversity but also diversity of experience. Additionally, we have been committed, individually and collectively, to diversity, equality and inclusion in our companies and careers, working to develop and mentor other professionals and improve diversity and equality metrics through strategic hiring and promotion.
Past performance of our management team and advisors is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may complete. You should not rely on the historical performance record of our management team or advisors as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful. Some of our officers and directors have not had experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies. In addition, our executive officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our executive officers, directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such persons and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such other entities have with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”.
Explorer Acquisitions
Our sponsor has been formed as a collaboration between Eric Benhamou, our Chief Executive Officer, Alex Vieux, our Advisor, Steven Fletcher, our Advisor, and Explorer Acquisitions (“Explorer”).
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Founded in 2018 by Alex Vieux and Steve Fletcher, Explorer is a sponsor of a series of SPACs in partnership with proven executives such as Mr. Benhamou. Explorer employs approximately 20 professionals focused on the end-to-end SPAC lifecycle from initial public offering to diligence and initial business combination. Since its inception, Explorer has sponsored five SPACs to date, with collective proceeds of approximately $2.0 billion: ChaSerg Technology Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAC), a blank check company which completed an initial business combination with Grid Dynamics International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) in March 2020; Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation (formerly Nasdaq: APXT), a blank check company which completed an initial business combination with AvePoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVPT) in July 2021; E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ETAC), a blank check company searching for a target business in the software and internet technology industries; Carney Technology Acquisition Corp. II (Nasdaq: CTAQ), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry; and Epiphany Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: EPHY), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry.
We may draw upon Explorer’s infrastructure, personnel, network and relationships to provide access to deal prospects, along with any necessary resources to aid in the identification and diligence of a business combination partner and subsequent execution of an initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Explorer has no written advisory agreement with us and will have no fiduciary obligations to us. Accordingly, they may present business combination opportunities to other entities prior to presenting them to us.
Our Mission
Our goal is to complete an initial business combination with a high potential technology company valued between $500 million and $2.5 billion, with a sweet spot of $1 billion to $2 billion. By leveraging our management’s extensive industry operational and investment experience and extensive professional network, we believe we can bring substantial and symbiotic benefits to any acquired company.
The benefits we believe we offer to a target company include but are not limited to the following:
• Expertise in building successful companies: Our management team has a combined 120 years of leadership experience across both public and private companies, and across both hardware and software firms. They have identified tectonic industry shifts and built technology companies that have captured dominant market shares. They have demonstrated a strong track record of innovation across both software and hardware systems, building high-performance teams and global expansion. They have established go-to-market teams which have driven strong revenue and EBITDA growth, and helped set up the key governance practices and processes required of publicly traded companies. They have a successful track record of expansion of business lines into new markets and industry verticals through successful acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs and integrations. They have also demonstrated expertise in navigating the capital markets, delivering value to public investors as Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers of publicly traded companies
• Ability to mentor and support exceptional executives: Our officers have served on dozens of boards, including 25 public company boards, and our advisors, Alex Vieux and Steve Fletcher, have collectively served on over a dozen other boards. Our management team and advisors bring a unique combination of industry expertise and skills to identify and mentor top executive talent. We believe that this experience and knowledge base will be invaluable in helping an acquired company’s leadership achieve value creation milestones, navigate the competitive market dynamics and increase their odds of long-term success.
• Maximizing the value of becoming a publicly traded entity: We are committed to working with management and shareholders who aspire to have their company become a public entity and create substantial wealth. The benefits of transitioning from a private to a public entity may include a broader access to debt and equity providers for potential roll-up acquisitions, increased market branding and visibility and tangible incentives and liquidity for employees, which help hire and retain the best talent.
Acquisition Criteria
Our intent is to seek potential target businesses globally. We intend to accomplish this using a world-wide network of professional contacts that has been developed by our management team and advisors over many years. This network encompasses private equity firms, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
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The maturity and judgment skills accumulated by our management team and advisors will guide our acquisition process. When candidate companies are being evaluated, we expect to use the following, non-exclusive criteria for determining opportunities.
• Target size: We intend to target entities whose enterprise value is between $500 million and $2.5 billion, with a sweet spot of $1 billion to $2 billion. We intend to seek companies which have a strong potential to grow within their market segment as well as clear expansion potential by expanding their product and services suite, which we believe offer long-term risk-adjusted return potential.
• Industry: We intend to focus on the technology industry aligned with our Enterprise 4.0 strategy, where we have significant operational and investment experience, as well as a substantial network. We believe our management team’s experience across various sub-sectors enables us to scout and evaluate a potential target quickly in order to secure favorable terms, as well as explore operational improvements, including additional roll-up acquisitions.
• Market opportunity: We intend to select investments in industry sub-segments that have favorable macro trends, long-term growth prospects and significant revenue growth potential.
• Strong management team: We intend to seek companies with proven and accomplished management teams which are eager to partner with us and build the next phase of the company together. We intend to spend significant time assessing a company’s leadership team, culture and processes to ensure that the company has the human capital that global companies need to increase their odds of success and build sustainable value to its stakeholders.
• Operational discipline: We intend to select companies which have a repeatable go-to-market process, as well as the requisite controls and reporting processes in place. We expect to seek companies that can leverage our management team’s operational experience to further improve operational efficiencies, enhance alignment and accelerate growth.
• Competitive advantages: We intend to invest in companies that possess sustainable competitive advantages, both from a technological and business model standpoint, as well as substantial room for growth; we will look for the existence of strong product and service roadmaps for continued innovation, strong unit economics and continued potential for additional revenue, cost and thought leadership.
• Market presence: We intend to seek companies that are recognized market leaders in an emerging category with a sizable market share and the opportunity to achieve market leadership in a broader market through both organic and inorganic growth. They should also have defensible proprietary technology, unique datasets and intellectual property rights.
• Benefit from being public: We intend to seek targets that can inherently benefit from becoming a public company, including benefits such as acquisition capital, greater market visibility and branding among customers, enhanced access to debt and equity capital markets, and more tangible incentives for employee stock compensation.
• Appropriate valuations: Our management team members are rigorous, disciplined, and valuation-centric investors. We expect to enter a business combination only if it offers significant upside potential and limited risks.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant.
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. We intend to acquire a company with an enterprise value significantly above the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan. Depending on the size of the transaction or the number of public shares we become obligated to redeem, we may potentially utilize several additional financing sources, including but not limited to the issuance of additional securities to the sellers of a target business, debt issued by banks or other lenders or the owners of the target, a private placement to raise additional funds, or a combination of the foregoing. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds
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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 to meet our obligations or our working capital needs, we may need to obtain additional financing.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way 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, or (ii) in such a way so that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders, or for other reasons. However, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholders’ approval, as applicable.
Other Acquisition Considerations
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire regarding fairness of a transaction from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain a fairness opinion. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
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Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and/or placement units following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our directors and officers presently has, and in the future our directors and officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities (including blank check companies) pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we renounce, to the maximum extent permitted by law, our interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in any business combination opportunity: (i) which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or its affiliates have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquire knowledge; or (ii) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to another entity, and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition, our amended and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to our company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Corporate Information
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.
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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 shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. 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 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 the prior June 30th, 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 prior June 30th.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated on May 3, 2021. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies wishing to conduct business outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 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 shall 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 shall 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.
Our executive offices are located at 533 Airport Blvd, Suite 400, Burlingame, CA 94010, and our telephone number is (619) 736-6855.
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THE OFFERING
In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, 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 below entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
Securities offered | | 25,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: |
| | • one Class A ordinary share; and |
| | • one half of one warrant, each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share. |
| | This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one 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. |
Proposed Nasdaq symbols | | Units: “ENTFU” |
| | Class A Ordinary Shares: “ENTF” |
| | Warrants: “ENTFW” |
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants | | The units will begin trading promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor and Mizuho, as representatives of the underwriters, inform us of their 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 and warrants 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 and warrants. |
Separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K | | In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants 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 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 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 reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
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Units: | | |
Number outstanding before this offering | | 0 |
Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement | | 25,700,000(1)(2)
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Ordinary shares: | | |
Number outstanding before this offering | | 7,187,500(3) |
Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement | | 31,950,000(1)(4) |
Redeemable Warrants: | | |
Number of placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering | | 350,000 |
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement | | 12,850,000(1)(5) |
Exercisability | | Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one of our Class A ordinary shares. Only whole warrants are exercisable. |
Exercise price | | $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustments as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by us and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsors or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares or placement units held by our initial shareholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we complete our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described adjacent to “Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. |
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Exercise period | | The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided 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. |
| | We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement for this offering or a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. 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. |
| | 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 the trust account. |
Redemption of warrants | | 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, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and |
| | • if, and only if, the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
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| | We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective 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 not exercise our redemption right if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws to the extent that an exemption from registration is not available. If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” 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 quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that the notice of redemption is sent to the warrant holders. |
Expression of interest | | Cantor has informed us that it and/or its affiliates or accounts over which it and/or its affiliates have discretionary authority have expressed an interest in purchasing up to 7.14% of the units to be sold in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase and are simply expressions of intent, these entities may determine to purchase fewer or no units at all in the offering or may purchase more units than they indicate an interest in purchasing (although they do not intend to exceed 9.99% ownership in the aggregate). In addition, Cantor and Mizuho may determine to allocate fewer units to any of these entities than the entities indicate an interest in purchasing or to not sell any units to these entities. The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as they will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. |
| | If Cantor or any of its affiliates or accounts over which it and/or its affiliates have discretionary authority purchases any units in this offering or otherwise in the open market, it has no obligation to vote the underlying shares in favor of any business combination, nor does it have an obligation not to redeem any such shares or hold any such units or underlying shares beyond the completion of an initial business combination, if any. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. Cantor’s affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting — Other Activities and Relationships” for additional information. |
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Founder shares | | On July 9, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration for 7,187,500 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the aggregate of our founder shares and our issued and outstanding public shares after this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor at 20% of the aggregate of our founder shares and our issued and outstanding public shares after this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units). Up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
| | The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: |
| | • only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination and holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board for any reason; |
| | • in a vote to transfer our company by way of continuation out of the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction) (which requires a special resolution) prior to our initial business combination, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share; |
| | • the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
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| | • our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (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 seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination if we obtain the approval of our shareholders by ordinary resolution or such higher percentage as may be required by Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In such case, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed, pursuant to such letter agreement, to vote their founder shares, placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholder’s founder shares and the placement shares, we would need only 8,875,001, or 35.5%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the sponsor loan is converted in full), or no public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming only a quorum is present at the meeting held to vote on our initial business combination), in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised); |
| | • the founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; and |
| | • the founder shares are subject to registration rights. |
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Appointment of directors; continuation out of the Cayman Islands; voting rights | | Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board for any reason. In addition, in a vote to transfer our company by way of continuation out of the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction) (which requires a special resolution) prior to our initial business combination, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended (i) prior to the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of the votes cast by the holders of issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote, or (ii) in connection with and immediately prior to the completion of an initial business combination or following the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
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Transfer restrictions on founder shares | | Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares (except to permitted transferees, as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units (including securities contained therein)” until the earliest of (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (b) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. |
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights | | We have issued 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
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| | In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which the Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the sum of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units), plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination, or any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us (including the sponsor loan). |
| | The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities. |
Private placement | | Our sponsor and the underwriters have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (600,000 placement units by our sponsor and 100,000 placement units by the underwriters), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. If we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the placement units (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless. Each placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Placement warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of shares. If any fractional interests would be issuable upon exercise of a placement warrant, we will round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. |
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Sponsor loan | | Our sponsor has agreed to lend us $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) as of the closing date of this offering. The sponsor loan will bear no interest. The proceeds of the sponsor loan will be deposited into the trust account and be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law). The sponsor loan shall be repaid or converted into sponsor loan units at a conversion price of $10.00 per unit, at the sponsor’s discretion, at any time up until the consummation of an initial business combination. The sponsor loan units would be identical to the placement units sold. The sponsor loan is being extended in order to ensure that the amount in the trust account is $10.20 per public share. If we do not complete an initial business combination and the sponsor loan has not been converted into sponsor loan units prior to such time, we will not repay the sponsor loan and its proceeds will be distributed to our public shareholders. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor loan. |
Transfer restrictions on placement units | | The placement units and their component securities will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. |
Proceeds to be held in trust account | | The rules of the Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering, the private placement and the sponsor loan be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering, the sale of the placement units and sponsor loan described in this prospectus, $255,000,000 ($10.20 per unit), or $293,250,000 ($10.20 per unit) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and $2.0 million will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital and other obligations following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $8,750,000 (or up to $10,812,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. |
| | The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the private placement will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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. |
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Anticipated expenses and funding sources | | Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $76,500 of pre-tax interest annually (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option and an interest rate of 0.03% per year) following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
| | • the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,400,000 in working capital and other purposes after the payment of approximately $600,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and |
| | • any other loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us, and provided 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 a business combination. |
Conditions to completing our initial business combination | | The Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination.
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| | If our board of directors 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 or accounting firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire as to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial 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% fair market value test, provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors. |
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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 sponsor, directors, officers 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. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. There is no limit on the number of shares such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in 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. Subsequent to the completion of this offering, we expect to adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
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| | 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. Our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates will not make any purchases if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of 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 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 completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
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| | The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the representatives of the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our placement shares or warrants. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. |
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 general 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. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and 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 requirement 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 the 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 of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
| | • file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
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| | Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. |
| | In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (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: |
| | • conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
| | • file proxy materials with the SEC. |
| | We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration. |
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| | If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution or such higher percentage as may be required by Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own approximately 22.7% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. 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 be present if the holders of one-third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are present in person or by proxy. |
| | Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an 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 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 ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. |
Tendering share 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 (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. 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.
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Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% 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 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 redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering. 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 sponsor or its affiliates 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 initial 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 initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have, pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, waived their right to have any founder shares or public shares held by them redeemed in connection with our initial business combination.
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Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association | |
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering, the placement units and sponsor loan into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, but excluding the provision of the articles relating to the appointment or removal of directors and the continuation of our company outside of the Cayman Islands), may be amended if approved by a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our ordinary shares. Should our sponsor vote all its shares in favor of any such amendment, we would require 14,283,333, or 57.1%, of the public shares issued in this offering to be voted in favor of any such amendment for its approval (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the sponsor loan is converted in full) or no public shares sold in this offering (assuming only a quorum is present at the
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| | meeting held to vote on such amendment) (in either case assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s overallotment option and no purchase by our sponsor or its affiliates of public shares in this offering or thereafter). 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 sponsor, which will beneficially own 22.7% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering and the private placement (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option), 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 it chooses. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors 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 that would (i) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-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) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. |
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 used 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.” We will use the remaining funds to pay the representatives of the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay the sponsor loan if not converted, 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, including those associated with our initial business combination, with the balance to be available to the post-transaction business. 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, 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 companies or for working capital.
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Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | |
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and 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 liquidation 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) 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 initial business combination within the 18-month time period.
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| | Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors acquire public shares 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 frame. The representatives of the underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commissions held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering 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. |
| | Our sponsor, 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 that would (i) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-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) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. |
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Limited payments to insiders | | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any entities with which they are affiliated, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement units held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: |
| | • repayment of an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| | • payment pursuant to the terms of an Administrative Services Agreement to an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, in an amount equal to $12,500 per month; |
| | • reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; |
| | • repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units sold in the private placement; and |
| | • repayment of the sponsor loan in an amount of $5,000,000 (or up to $5,750,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised) but only in the event we complete our initial business combination and it has not been converted prior to such time. |
| | These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith. |
| | Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated. |
Audit committee | | Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee 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 entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” |
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Conflicts of interest | | Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future our directors and our officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities (including blank check companies) pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations and to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. To address the matters set out above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, we renounce, to the maximum extent permitted by law, our interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in any corporate opportunity: (i) which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or its affiliates have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquires knowledge; or (ii) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to another entity, and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition, our amended and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to our company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination. |
Indemnity | | Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third-party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) 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) $10.20 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, 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. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their 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 obligations. We therefore believe it is unlikely that our sponsor would be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations if they arise. |
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Summary of Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section title “Risk Factors,” that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect our ability to effect a business combination, and may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
• newly incorporated company without an operating history;
• our ability to continue as a “going concern;”
• delay in receiving distributions from the trust account;
• lack of opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination;
• lack of protections afforded to investors of blank check companies;
• issuance of equity and/or debt securities to complete a business combination;
• lack of working capital;
• third-party claims reducing the per-share redemption price;
• negative interest rate for securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account;
• that we may issue shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price for our shares at that time;
• our shareholders being held liable for claims by third parties against us;
• failure to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations;
• warrant holders limited to exercising warrants only on a “cashless basis;”
• the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company;
• dependence on key personnel;
• conflicts of interest of our sponsor, officers and directors;
• the delisting of our securities by Nasdaq;
• dependence on a single target business with a limited number of products or services;
• our shareholders’ inability to vote or redeem their shares in connection with our extensions;
• shares being redeemed and warrants becoming worthless;
• our competitors with advantages over us in seeking business combinations;
• ability to obtain additional financing;
• our initial shareholders controlling a substantial interest in us;
• warrants adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares;
• disadvantageous timing for redeeming warrants;
• registration rights’ adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares;
• impact of COVID-19 and related risks;
• business combination with a company located in a foreign jurisdiction;
• changes in laws or regulations; tax consequences to business combinations; and
• exclusive forum provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
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Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business, and are derived from and should be read with our audited financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| | July 9, 2021 |
| | Actual | | As Adjusted |
Balance Sheet Data: | | | | | | | | |
Working capital (deficiency)(1) | | $ | (27,521 | ) | | $ | 242,670,228 | |
Total assets(2) | | $ | 68,175 | | | $ | 256,420,228 | |
Total liabilities(3) | | $ | 47,947 | | | $ | 13,750,000 | |
Value of shares subject to possible redemption(4) | | $ | — | | | $ | 255,000,000 | |
Shareholder’s equity(5) | | $ | 20,288 | | | $ | (12,329,772 | ) |
If no business combination is completed within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and dissolution expenses) will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such 18-month time period.
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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 Relating to our Search for, Completion of, or Inability to Complete, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public 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 Cayman Islands law or the rules of the Nasdaq or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons. Examples of transactions that would not ordinarily require shareholder approval include asset acquisitions and share purchases, while transactions such as direct mergers with our company or transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares would require shareholder approval. For instance, the Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a general meeting but would still require us to obtain shareholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek shareholder approval of such business combination. Except as required by law or Nasdaq rules, 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 the issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Shareholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination” for additional information.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of 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 $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
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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 approval. 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into 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 initial 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 we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B shares at the time of the initial business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
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 shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may
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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 shares in the open market.
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 business combination deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial 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 18 months from the closing of this offering. 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.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak of the COVID-19 a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 pandemic continuing, or a significant outbreak of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we complete 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 complete a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, including the advancement and proliferation of COVID-19 vaccinations, 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, our ability to complete a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination, may be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to complete a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events 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.
As the number of SPACs 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 complete an initial business combination.
In recent years and especially since the second half of 2020, the number of SPACs 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 complete 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 target 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 complete an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to complete an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
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Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. The premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future. 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 will likely 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 complete an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
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 $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and 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 liquidation 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) 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 $10.20 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.20 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 $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Because our quorum requirements are different from those of other blank check companies, we may not need any public shares to be voted in order to have our initial business combination approved.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, for a meeting to approve our initial business combination, a quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one-third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are present in person or by proxy. This requirement is different from those of other blank check companies which require a majority of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting to be present. Consequently, if only a quorum is present at such a meeting, we will need no public shares sold in this offering to be voted with our founder shares and placement shares in order to have our initial business combination approved.
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Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forums for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us concerning the company’s internal affairs and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our ordinary shares.
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 sponsor, directors, officers, advisors 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, although they are under no obligation to do so. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. 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 sponsor, directors, officers 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 price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. 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
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condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our ordinary shares and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain 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 initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a 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. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business — Business Strategy — Tendering share 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 or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. 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 or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors, upon the listing of our shares on Nasdaq, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After completion of this offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a ‘controlled company’ and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
• we have a board that includes a majority of ‘independent directors,’ as defined under the rules of Nasdaq;
• we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
• to the extent that we have one, we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
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We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan 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 our securities will be listed on a national securities exchange, 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. 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 “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If the net proceeds of this offering not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such 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 18 months; 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 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 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 $10.20 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.20 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.20 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 $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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 $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption, 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
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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, the sale of the placement units and sponsor loan, 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, if we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A ordinary shares redeemed and, in the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we make purchases of our Class A ordinary shares, potentially reducing the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations 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 $10.20 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 $10.20 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 $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan, only approximately $1,400,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements and for other purposes. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, 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 $1,400,000, 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 sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. 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 $10.20 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.20 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.20 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 $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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 share 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
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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.
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 $10.20 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 third parties (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.20 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 third-party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) 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) $10.20 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, 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. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such 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 $10.20 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 or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by third parties and prospective target businesses.
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Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.20 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 in any particular instance. 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 $10.20 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency 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 or insolvency 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 company 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 or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency 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 or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency 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.
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 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 in contravention of the foregoing may be guilty of an offence and may be liable for a fine and/or imprisonment.
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We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the completion of our initial business combination. Our public shareholders will not have the right to appoint or remove directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general 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 or appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. 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 prior to completion of our initial business combination. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board for any reason.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry 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.
We may seek to complete an initial 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 effectuate our initial 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 initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our 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 seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider an initial business combination outside of our management’s areas 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. 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 of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial 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 seek acquisition opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk
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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 another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, 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 of directors 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 or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying for a target 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 tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. However, if our board of directors is unable to determine the fair value of an entity with which we seek to complete an initial business combination based on such standards, we will be required to obtain an opinion as described above.
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 historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, or international financing 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 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.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an 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, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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 do 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination,
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after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public 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 initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all 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 ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the period of time in which it had to complete a business combination. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments or extend the time in which we have to complete a business combination through amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-initial business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, (and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our ordinary shares). 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.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated), but excluding the provision of the articles relating to the appointment or removal of directors and continuation of our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, may be amended if approved by a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our ordinary shares. Our initial holders and holders of placement shares 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. Should our sponsor vote all its shares in favor of any such amendment, we would require 14,283,333, or 57.1%, of the public shares issued in this offering to be voted in favor of any such amendment for its approval (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s overallotment option and no purchase by our sponsor or its affiliates of public shares in this offering or thereafter and all outstanding shares are voted), or no public shares sold in this offering (assuming only a quorum is present at the meeting held to vote on such amendment) (in either case assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s overallotment option and no purchase by our sponsor or its affiliates of public shares in this offering or thereafter). As a result, we may be able to amend the
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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.
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, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan 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, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan 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 redeem 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. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing, could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or 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 $10.20 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 $10.20 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 $10.20 per share” and other risk factors below.
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 $10.20 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 $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 $10.20 per share” and other risk factors.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business
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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 initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
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 candidates’ 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.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
• costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;
• rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
• complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
• laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
• exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
• tariffs and trade barriers;
• regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
• local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
• unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
• longer payment cycles;
• tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
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• currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
• rates of inflation;
• challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
• cultural and language differences;
• employment regulations;
• underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems, including those related to data privacy laws;
• corruption;
• protection of intellectual property;
• social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
• regime changes and political upheaval;
• terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; and
• deterioration of political relations with the United States.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete 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 (other than the sponsor loan being extended in order to ensure that the amount in the trust account is $10.20 per public share) to 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 initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
• default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
• acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
• our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
• our inability to pay dividends on our 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, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and 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;
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• increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
• limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan, 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, the sale of the placement units, and the sponsor loan, $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 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 $8,750,000, or up to $10,812,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. 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. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
• solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
• dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we plan to seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be
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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.
There are risks related to the technology industry to which we may be subject.
Business combinations with companies with operations in the technology industry entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with a target business with operations in the technology industry, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks, including but not limited to:
• if we do not develop successful new products or improve existing ones, our business will suffer;
• we may invest in new lines of business that could fail to attract or retain users or generate revenue;
• we will face significant competition and if we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, our business could suffer;
• disruption or failure of our networks, systems, platform or technology that frustrate or thwart our users’ ability to access our products and services, may cause our users, advertisers, and partners to cut back on or stop using our products and services altogether, which could seriously harm our business;
• mobile malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, spamming, and improper or illegal use of our products could seriously harm our business and reputation;
• if we are unable to successfully grow our user base and further monetize our products, our business will suffer;
• if we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be seriously harmed;
• we may be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings in the future, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a way that could seriously harm our business; and
• components used in our products may fail as a result of a manufacturing, design, or other defect over which we have no control, and render our devices inoperable.
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 the technology industry. 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.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and completion of an initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing transactions. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. The representatives are also
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entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the completion of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and completion of an initial business combination.
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we 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.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Since holders of our founder shares and placement units will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
Our initial holders currently own 7,187,500 founder shares, which will be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Our sponsor and the underwriters have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (600,000 placement units by our sponsor and 100,000 placement units by the underwriters), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares, placement shares or placement warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete a business combination within the allotted 18 month period. If we do not complete a business combination, our sponsor will realize a loss on the placement units it purchased. In addition, if the sponsor loan has not been converted into sponsor loan units as described herein, the sponsor loan will not be repaid if our initial business combination is not completed. In addition, we may obtain additional loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. As a result, the personal and financial interests of certain of our officers and directors, directly or as members of our sponsor, in completing an initial business combination, along with their flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial business combination that is not in the best interests of our shareholders. Consequently, the discretion of our officers and directors, in identifying and selecting a suitable target business combination may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular initial business combination are appropriate and in the best interest of our public shareholders.
The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.
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The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the completion 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 $10.20 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.20 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the completion of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $246,250,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, 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, 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 public and private warrants. At such valuation, our ordinary shares would have an implied value of $7.71 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, which would be a 24.4% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.20 (the price per unit in this offering).
Public shares | | | 25,000,000 |
Founder shares | | | 6,250,000 |
Private placement shares | | | 700,000 |
Total shares | | | 31,950,000 |
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination (less deferred underwriting commissions) | | $ | 246,250,000 |
Initial implied value per public share | | $ | 10.20 |
Implied value per share upon completion of initial business combination | | $ | 7.71 |
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 Class A ordinary share at such time is substantially less than $10.20 per share.
Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $6,025,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares, the $6,000,000 purchase price for the placement units (excluding the $5,000,000 sponsor loan assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). Assuming a trading price of $10.20 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, the 6,250,000 founder shares and 600,000 private placement shares would have an aggregate implied value of $69,870,000. Even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares were as low as $0.88 per share, and the placement warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public shareholders to pursue and complete an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public shareholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific
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number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Directors and Officers.”
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 they may also participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, another special purpose acquisition company) and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we complete our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Certain members of our management team presently have, 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 a business combination opportunity to such entity. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, 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 other entities prior to its presentation to us.
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 “Management — Directors and Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we 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 sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning 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
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such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions, 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 officers, directors or existing holders, 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 sponsor, officers and directors will not be eligible to be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
At the closing of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors, or any entities with which they are affiliated, 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. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. These financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial business combination. Furthermore, the sponsor loan will not be repaid if it has been converted into sponsor loan units at a conversion price of $10.00 per unit, at the sponsor’s discretion, and we are unable to consummate an initial business combination.
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 a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our 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 ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests 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 issued and 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 shares 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.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without shareholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the investment management trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers, directors, director nominees and advisors, the registration rights agreement among us, the initial holders and holders of placement units and the administrative services agreement between us and an affiliate of our sponsor, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to this offering contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction
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with such target business (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
The initial holders will control the appointment and removal of our board of directors until completion of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will appoint all of our directors and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring shareholder vote (including the continuation of our company outside of the Cayman Islands), potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, the initial holders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the placement shares underlying the placement units and assuming our initial holders do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will (i) entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and (ii) in respect of any vote or votes to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of our company in such other jurisdiction) prior to our initial business combination, which requires the approval of a special resolution, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share and, as a result, our sponsor will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended (i) prior to the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of the votes cast by the holders of issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote, or (ii) in connection with and immediately prior to the completion of an initial business combination or following the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote. As a result, you will not have any influence over the appointment of directors or our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
Neither our sponsor nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, as a result of its substantial ownership in our company, our sponsor may exert a substantial influence on other 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 sponsor purchases any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase its influence over these actions. Accordingly, our sponsor will exert significant influence over actions requiring a shareholder vote at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Risks Relating to our Securities
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.20 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.20. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
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The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
The net proceeds of this offering, certain proceeds from the sale of the placement units and proceeds from the issuance of the sponsor loan, in the amount of $255,000,000, will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in direct U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay income taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $255,000,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
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 intend to apply to have our units listed on the Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. 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 share price levels. Generally, we must maintain an average global market capitalization and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 400 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 we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500) 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 shares is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares 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
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expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
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.
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 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, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution upon the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the ordinary shares 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 sponsor 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 117.7% (or $11.77 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $(1.77) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, you may face additional dilution as a result of the conversion into units of up to $1,500,000 in loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, as well as conversion into units of the sponsor loan of up to $5,000,000 to be outstanding at the closing of this offering, at our sponsor’s discretion (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option).
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We may issue additional Class A ordinary or preference 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 time 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 authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share and 5,000,000 undesignated preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 474,300,000 and 43,750,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A and Class B ordinary shares available, respectively, for issuance, which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares, and may issue preference shares, in order to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. The price at which we issue any shares may be lower than the price you paid for the units in this offering or at a price lower than the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares at the time we commit to such issuance or at the actual issuance of such shares. 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 time 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 provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares;
• could cause a change in control if a substantial number of 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, ordinary shares and/or warrants.
Although we are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act, in connection with our initial business combination, we will need to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement with respect to such securities. Such post-effective amendment or new registration statement may not be in effect 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.
Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement for this offering or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration or redemption 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
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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 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in connection with our initial business combination, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants 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 at such time registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.
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 “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws 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, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not, at the relevant time, registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the above requirements, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Exercising the warrants on a cashless basis could have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of Class A ordinary shares upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. 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. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants included as part of units sold in this offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the ordinary shares underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying ordinary shares. 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. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
The grant of registration rights to our initial holders and holders of placement units 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 shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial holders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register their founder shares, after those shares convert to our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, holders of our placement units and sponsor loan units (and underlying securities) and their permitted transferees can
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demand that we register the placement shares and sponsor loan shares as well as the placement warrants and sponsor loan warrants and Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the placement warrants and sponsor loan warrants, and holders of placement shares and placement warrants underlying placement units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, may demand that we register such Class A ordinary shares, warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. 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 shares. The founder shares may become transferable earlier than one year following our business combination if our Class A ordinary shares trade for $12.00 or more, thereby, the potential dilution to our public shareholders. 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 combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our sponsor, holders of our placement units or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
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 contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Unlike 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 sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and placement shares held by them, as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering, in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own approximately 22.7% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares at the time of any such shareholder vote. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and placement shares, we would need only 8,875,001, or 35.5%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the sponsor loan is converted in full), or no public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming only a quorum is present at the meeting held to vote on our initial business combination), in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). 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 such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
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 Class A ordinary 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 ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one 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.
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A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by us and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsors or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares or placement units held by our initial shareholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we complete our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Redemption of warrants�� will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively. This may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination with a target business.
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, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the 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. In addition, the warrant agreement provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
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 team. We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce
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this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
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 a majority of the then outstanding warrants.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 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 a majority 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 a majority 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 a majority 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, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
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 the 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 closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third business day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that 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. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. 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, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 12,500,000 of our Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 700,000 placement units. The placement units will have underlying warrants to purchase an aggregate of 350,000 of our Class A ordinary shares at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In addition, if the sponsor, the management team, or their affiliates make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units sold in the private placement. Such warrants, when exercised, 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 transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Furthermore, we may issue sponsor loan warrants underlying sponsor loan units upon conversion of the sponsor loan. The sponsor loan units would be identical to the placement units.
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We intend to account for our warrants as equity. If it were later determined that our warrants should have been accounted for as a liability, we might be required to restate our financial statements and the warrants would be recorded at fair value, with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. Treating our warrants as a liability could cause us to incur significant expense, have an adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares and make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC issued a public statement entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”) (the “Staff Statement”). In the Staff Statement, the SEC staff expressed its view that, in accordance with the guidance contained in Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (ASC 815-40), certain terms and conditions common to SPAC warrants may require those warrants to be classified as liabilities on the SPAC’s balance sheet as opposed to equity.
We have modified the terms and conditions of our warrants in order to address the issues raised in the Staff Statement, and we intend to account for our warrants as equity. However, there can be no assurance that classification of our warrants as equity is the appropriate accounting treatment, and it is possible that our warrants might properly be classified as a liability. If it is later determined that our warrants should have been classified as a liability, we may have to assess the impact of that determination on our financial statements, and we might be required to restate previously-issued financial statements to reflect the treatment of the warrants as a liability. We would also be required to classify our warrants as a liability at their fair value. That liability would be subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability would be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in our statement of operations and therefore our reported earnings. The impact of such changes in fair value on earnings could have an adverse effect on the market price of our stock. Furthermore, a restatement, if required, could result in significant expense, and could potentially delay our initial business combination. In addition, if our warrants are classified as a liability, we will have to incur significant expense in valuing that liability on a quarterly and annual basis, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability and such classification and ongoing expense may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
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 were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, 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 and warrants 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 at attractive values;
• a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
• our capital structure;
• 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.
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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, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months of the closing of this offering, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such 18 months before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less up to $100,000 of the net interest earned thereon to pay winding up and dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public shareholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the initial 18 months before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we complete our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.
General Risk Factors
We are a newly incorporated blank check 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 blank check company established under the laws of the Cayman Islands 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 initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Past performance by our management team and their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management, including their affiliates’ past performance, is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may complete. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team or their affiliates as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful.
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We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without shareholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the investment management trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers, directors, director nominees and advisors, the registration rights agreement among us, the initial holders and holders of placement units and the administrative services agreement between us and an affiliate of our sponsor, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to this offering contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction with such target business (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
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 or 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
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other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls 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 ordinary shares 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 prior June 30th, 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 prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
• restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
• restrictions on the issuance of securities;
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
• registration as an investment company;
• adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
• reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting
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certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under 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 $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
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 officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs are 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. 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, such as Delaware, 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.
We have been advised by Walkers (Cayman) 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, 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.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
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If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the Company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to complete our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following completion of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to complete such transaction.
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 and results of operations.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements contained in this prospectus are forward-looking in nature. 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,” “intends,” “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 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 ability to complete an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic;
• our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
• our pool of prospective target businesses;
• 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; or
• our financial performance following this offering or an initial business combination.
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 under the heading “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.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 25,000,000 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 placement units and the sponsor loan will be used as set forth in the following table.
| | Without Over-Allotment Option | | Over-Allotment Option Exercised |
Gross proceeds | | | | | | | | |
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | | $ | 250,000,000 | | | $ | 287,500,000 | |
Gross proceeds from placement units offered in the private placement | | | 7,000,000 | | | | 7,000,000 | |
Gross proceeds from sponsor loan | | | 5,000,000 | | | | 5,750,000 | |
Total gross proceeds | | $ | 262,000,000 | | | $ | 300,250,000 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Offering expenses(2) | | | | | | | | |
Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | | $ | 5,000,000 | | | $ | 5,000,000 | |
Legal fees and expenses | | | 250,000 | | | | 250,000 | |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | 37,500 | | | | 37,500 | |
SEC/FINRA expenses | | | 117,824 | | | | 117,824 | |
Travel and road show | | | 5,000 | | | | 5,000 | |
Nasdaq listing and filing fees (including deferred amount) | | | 75,000 | | | | 75,000 | |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | 40,000 | | | | 40,000 | |
Miscellaneous(4) | | | 74,676 | | | | 74,676 | |
Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | | $ | 600,000 | | | $ | 600,000 | |
Proceeds after offering expenses | | $ | 256,400,000 | | | $ | 294,650,000 | |
Held in trust account(3) | | $ | 255,000,000 | | | $ | 293,250,000 | |
% of public offering size | | | 102 | % | | | 102 | % |
Not held in trust account(2) | | $ | 1,400,000 | | | $ | 1,400,000 | |
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,400,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account(5).
| | Amount | | % of Total |
Director and Officer liability insurance premiums | | $ | 820,000 | | 58.6 | % |
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(5) | | $ | 225,000 | | 16.1 | % |
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | | | 105,000 | | 7.5 | % |
Payment for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support(6) | | | 225,000 | | 16.1 | % |
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses | | | 25,000 | | 1.8 | % |
Total | | $ | 1,400,000 | | 100.0 | % |
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The rules of the Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the private placement be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan, $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $8,750,000 (or up to $10,812,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the completion of this offering, 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. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $76,500 per year, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option and an interest rate of 0.03% per year, following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, if any; the proceeds from this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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 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
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consideration in connection with our initial 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 companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
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 sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $12,500 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of July 9, 2021, we had no borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Any such loans would be made on a non-interest bearing basis. 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 $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units sold in the private placement. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
If we 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 sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons 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.
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We will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our initial 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 earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, advisors or affiliates acquires 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.
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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. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share capitalizations in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering, in which case we will effect a share capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the completion of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership by our sponsor of founder shares prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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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 placement warrants, 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 placement warrants, 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 shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
At July 9, 2021, our net tangible book value deficit was $(27,521) or approximately $(0.00) per Class B ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the placement units, the sponsor loan and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at July 9, 2021 would have been $(12,329,772) or $(1.77) per share, representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $(1.77) per share to our sponsor as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $11.77 per share or 117.7% to our public shareholders not exercising their redemption rights. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $11.92 per share or 119.2%.
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 or the placement warrants:
| | No exercise of over-allotment option | | Exercise of over-allotment option in full |
Public offering price | | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | | | $ | 10.00 | |
Net tangible book value before this offering | | $ | (0.00 | ) | | | | | | $ | (0.00 | ) | | | | |
Decrease attributable to public shareholders and sale of the placement units | | | (1.77 | ) | | | | | | | (1.92 | ) | | | | |
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering | | | | | | | (1.77 | ) | | | | | | | (1.92 | ) |
Dilution to public shareholders | | | | | | $ | 11.77 | | | | | | | $ | 11.92 | |
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | | | | | | | 117.7 | % | | | | | | | 119.2 | % |
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 $255,000,000 because holders of up to approximately 100% 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 general meeting, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering).
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The following table sets forth information with respect to our sponsor and the public shareholders:
| | Shares Purchased(1) | | Total Consideration | | Average Price per Share |
| | Number | | Percentage | | Amount | | Percentage | |
Holders of founder shares(1)(2) | | 6,250,000 | | 19.56 | % | | $ | 25,000 | | 0.01 | % | | $ | 0.004 |
Holders of placement shares | | 700,000 | | 2.19 | % | | $ | 7,000,000 | | 2.72 | % | | $ | 10.00 |
Public Shareholders | | 25,000,000 | | 78.25 | % | | $ | 250,000,000 | | 97.27 | % | | $ | 10.00 |
| | 31,950,000 | | 100.00 | % | | | 257,025,000 | | 100.00 | % | | | |
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 value before this offering | | $ | (27,521 | ) | | $ | (27,521 | ) |
Net proceeds from this offering and private placement and sponsor loan | | | 256,400,000 | | | | 294,650,000 | |
Plus: Prepaid offering costs | | | 47,749 | | | | 47,749 | |
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions | | | (8,750,000 | ) | | | (10,812,500 | ) |
Less: Sponsor Loan | | | (5,000,000 | ) | | | (5,750,000 | ) |
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption | | | (255,000,000 | ) | | | (293,250,000 | ) |
| | $ | (12,329,772 | ) | | $ | (15,142,272 | ) |
| | Without Over-Allotment | | With Over-Allotment |
Denominator: | | | | | | |
Founder shares | | 7,187,500 | | | 7,187,500 | |
Less: Founder shares forfeited if underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised | | (937,500 | ) | | — | |
Public shares | | 25,000,000 | | | 28,750,000 | |
Private Placement shares | | 700,000 | | | 700,000 | |
Less: Shares subject to redemption | | (25,000,000 | ) | | (28,750,000 | ) |
| | 6,950,000 | | | 7,887,500 | |
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CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at July 9, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 25,000,000 units in this offering for $250,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit), the sale of 700,000 placement units for $7,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sponsor loan and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
| | July 9, 2021 |
| | Actual | | As Adjusted(1) |
Deferred underwriting commissions | | $ | — | | | $ | 8,750,000 | |
Sponsor loan | | | | | | | 5,000,000 | |
Notes payable(2) | | | — | | | | — | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 are subject to redemption(3) | | | — | | | | 255,000,000 | |
Shareholders’ equity (deficit): | | | | | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding actual and as adjusted, respectively | | | — | | | | — | |
Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 700,000 shares issued and outstanding (excluding -0- and 25,000,000 shares subject to redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively | | | — | | | | 70 | |
Class B ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 7,187,500 and 6,250,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4) | | | 719 | | | | 625 | |
Additional paid-in capital(5) | | | 24,281 | | | | — | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (4,772 | ) | | | (12,330,467 | ) |
Total shareholders’ equity (deficit) | | | 20,228 | | | | (12,329,772 | ) |
Total capitalization | | $ | 20,228 | | | $ | 256,420,228 | |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any specific target business and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any target business regarding a business combination with our company. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering, the private placement of the placement units and the sponsor loan, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, shares and debt.
The issuance of additional ordinary 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 subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference 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;
• may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share 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 and/or warrants.
Similarly, if we issue debt securities, 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, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and 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; and
• limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
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As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at July 9, 2021 we had $19,591 in cash, and a working capital deficit of $27,521. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed below.
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, at the earliest. We expect to 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
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at July 9, 2021, we had $19,591 in cash and $47,749 in deferred offering costs. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. Our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination may not be successful. However, in order to meet our working capital needs following the completion of this offering if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may lend us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Management has determined that because we have access to the aforementioned funds from the sponsor via loans, evidenced by a promissory note (which are not presumed to be carried out on an arm’s length basis, as the requisite conditions of competitive, free-market dealings may not exist), and because the sponsor has the financial wherewithal to fund the Company, this is deemed sufficient to fund our working capital needs until the earlier of the completion of the offering or one year from the issuance of the financial statements. If we do not complete a business combination, the loans will only be repaid with funds not held in the trust account, to the extent available.
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to completion of this offering through a capital contribution of $25,000 from the issuance of the founder shares to our sponsor and up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of July 9, 2021, we had no borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor. We estimate that the net proceeds from: (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $600,000, underwriting commissions of $5,000,000 (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or $10,812,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)), (ii) amounts from the sponsor loan of $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) and (iii) the sale of the placement units for a purchase price of $7,000,000, will be $256,400,000 (or $294,650,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $8,750,000 (or $10,812,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions. The remaining approximately $1,400,000 will not be held in the trust account. If our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, we may fund such excess with the net proceeds from this offering and the private placement held out of trust. If our offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the balance will be used for post-closing working capital.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes, if any. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. To the extent that our ordinary shares 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.
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Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us $1,400,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to pay director and officer liability insurance premiums, 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, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest bearing basis as may be required. 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 $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units sold in the private placement. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, members of our management team or any of 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.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $820,000 for director and officer liability insurance premiums, $225,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $105,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $225,000 for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services; and approximately $25,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves net of estimated interest income.
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 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.
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 initial 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.
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
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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 initial 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 expenses 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. 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 placement units 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 July 9, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration for 7,187,500 founder shares. The number of founder shares was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the aggregate of our founder shares and our issued and outstanding public shares after this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units). As such, our sponsor will own approximately 22.7% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering and the private placement (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering. Our sponsor does not intend to purchase any units in this offering.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $12,500 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
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Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any entities with which they are affiliated, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or any entity with which they are affiliated, 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 $300,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of July 9, 2021, we had no borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, our sponsor has agreed to lend us $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) as of the closing date of this offering at no interest. The proceeds of the sponsor loan will be deposited into the trust account and will be repaid or converted into sponsor loan units at a conversion price of $10.00 per unit, at the sponsor’s discretion, at any time up until the consummation of an initial business combination. The sponsor loan is being extended in order to ensure that the amount in the trust account is $10.20 per public share. If we do not complete an initial business combination and the sponsor loan has not been converted into sponsor loan units prior to such time, we will not repay the sponsor loan and its proceeds will be distributed to our public shareholders. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor loan.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest bearing basis. 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 $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units sold in the private placement. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor and the underwriters have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (600,000 placement units by our sponsor and 100,000 placement units by the underwriters), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. Each whole placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The placement units, and their underlying shares and warrants, are subject to transfer restrictions. See “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units.” Holders of placement units (and underlying securities) or their permitted transferees have the right to require us to register the placement units for resale as described in “Principal Shareholders — Registration Rights.” We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. Other than as stated above, the placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial holders and holders of placement units on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of warrants 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 “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of July 9, 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 our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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 the prior June 30th, 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 prior June 30th.
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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, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. This is referred to as our initial business combination. We intend to focus our search for prospects within the technology industry along the trendlines set by Enterprise 4.0 companies. Our ability to locate a potential target is subject to the uncertainties and risks discussed within this prospectus.
Digital transformation is a profound and sweeping trend disrupting enterprises globally, both large and small, along several dimensions — information, processes and workflows, people’s roles and locations, and platforms. Enterprises — even the laggards — are going digital in order to survive. This results in an explosion of data and insights that enterprises can use to improve customer engagement, productivity, ESG and ultimately profits. Process transformations result not only from the adoption of modern collaboration tools and newer engagement mediums like voice and video, but also from the reinvention of the software development process itself. Global enterprises are able to react faster to customer demands and not only maintain relevance but gain market share. The adoption of cloud-based subscription models and the democratization of machine learning and artificial intelligence technology have revolutionized a broad range of enterprise product categories as they harness the power of voice and natural language processing, computer vision and robotics.
These advances are driven by a new generation of cloud native companies characterized by the innovative way in which they leverage large new data sets and artificial intelligence algorithms. These data sets have grown rapidly due to the proliferation of smart sensors of all kinds (e.g. biometric sensors and smart cameras) and of digital signals produced by customers over the Internet as they engage with merchants and purchase goods and services. We refer to these companies as Enterprise 4.0 companies — a new wave of cloud native companies that combine artificial intelligence, intelligent automation and proprietary access to data to deliver actionable insights for enterprise businesses. These B2B companies provide full stack products in the form of vertical solutions, programmable cloud infrastructure or cloud native security innovations to generate immediate business value and significant return on investment improvements for their customers. We expect Enterprise 4.0 companies to enjoy rapid growth and demonstrate shareholder value creation.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further strengthened the business case behind Enterprise 4.0 companies. The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted the workplace environment, causing hundreds of millions of workers to carry out their work from home and adopt a new set of digital collaboration tools in the process. It has taught businesses to operate with a far more distributed workforce and a reduced office footprint. It has also accelerated the growth of e-commerce and digital marketing, while causing manufacturers to re-engineer their supply chains and improve their systems of logistical delivery. It has made us embrace remote learning in all forms, including employee training and reskilling, degreed programs, apprenticeships and conferences. It has also caused businesses to digitize their marketing, selling and customer support processes and reduce their dependencies on the traditional methods of the physical world. It is even changing the ways in which we deliver healthcare services and treatments. The resulting acceleration in new digital product development is broadening the role of DevOps platforms and increasing the interest in low-code and no-code platforms to enable rapid application development and continuous delivery. These disruptions can have lasting changes on how we interact with the world. As the world struggles to recover from the pandemic shock, we have found ways to work, learn and play that did not seem possible only two years ago. Most of these advances stem from the innovations in technology, product, services and business models of Enterprise 4.0 companies. We seek to capitalize on the value creation potential of this class of companies.
Investors have embraced this expanding opportunity and aggressively funded this new generation of companies at their inception. According to PitchBook in their Venture Monitor Report, $69 billion was deployed into VC-backed companies in Q1 2021, an increase of 92.6% compared to the previous year’s first quarter investments. Much of the growth in recent quarters was focused on late-stage investments, a trend that may be the harbinger of a surge in activity to achieve liquidity including through SPACs such as our company.
The combination of digital transformations such as those catalyzed by Enterprise 4.0 companies with abundant capital and low interest rates has led to what we believe are significant opportunities for such companies to go public via a combination with a SPAC. The Nasdaq and NYSE host more than 300 publicly traded technology US companies with a market capitalization exceeding $1 billion as of May 27, 2021. However, much of the attention
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from press and investors has been on “mega-corns”— private companies valued significantly more than $1 billion. This has made the IPO route less accessible for many companies causing the number of technology company IPOs to dwindle. An average of 160 technology companies went public each year during the 1990s. Since 2010, that annual average has plummeted; in 2019 and 2020, there were only 37 and 42 technology IPOs, respectively. We believe that the increase in private capital from venture capital and private equity firms has prolonged the time that companies stay private and delayed their entrance into the public markets.
As a result, the number of private companies globally valued at more than $1 billion has soared from 167 in 2018 to 750 as of July 8, 2021, according to PitchBook/CB Insights. However, exit paths for private companies remain limited as today’s diminished IPO market has predominantly backed large unicorns, with the median market capitalization of a venture-backed IPO increasing from $538 million in 2010 to over $4.6 billion in 2020.
In spite of the focus on “mega-corns,” our management team believes a larger number of equally impressive companies with valuations between $500 million and $2.5 billion, with a sweet spot of $1 billion to $2 billion, provide excellent growth and shareholder value creation opportunities. These companies may not elicit the headline-grabbing attention of the “mega-corns”; nevertheless, we believe that they too can boast remarkable economic performance, outstanding key metrics, deep management talent and carry potential for substantial financial upside for our investors.
We believe the surge of interest for technology companies to go public through a SPAC merger is justified and hails the start of a long-lasting trend. These changes have profound effects on which technology companies will prevail on Wall Street and on Main Street. The traditional IPO path for technology companies appears to be diminished for many high-quality businesses that should have access to public equity capital. We believe that financial sponsors of high-growth technology companies will continue to seek alternatives to access the public markets. SPACs have emerged recently as credible vehicles to address the growing problem of a constrained IPO funnel. While the sudden surge in the popularity of SPACs has raised concerns with regulators and while ill-conceived SPACs led by poorly prepared managers may fail to deliver on their promise, we strongly believe that this surge will be followed by a flight to quality and that well-targeted SPACs led by experienced managers will thrive. A study by Wolfe Research indicates that SPACs led by experienced operators tend to outperform those led by non-experienced operators. Investors in experienced operator-led SPACs saw an approximate 23% return 365 days post-merger while investors in non-experienced operator-led SPACs saw an approximate (20%) return over the same period using data from 2019 to June 22, 2021. As a team of experienced operators, we are aligned with this trend and intend to evaluate the best risk-reward opportunity to create sustainable long-term shareholder value.
Our Management Team
Our management team members stand apart in at least three ways: (1) they are seasoned technology operators who have worked together and created substantial public shareholder value over several decades; (2) they operate at the epicenter of the Enterprise 4.0 technology revolution and have access to a large and high quality deal flow of venture-backed companies by virtue of the professional networks of many team members in the venture capital industry, and (3) they have proven experience with SPACs. Our CEO understands the SPAC vehicle and has demonstrated an ability to raise capital, identify high quality targets, complete a transaction, and create value post de-SPAC.
Our management team is spearheaded by our Chief Executive Officer, Eric Benhamou, our Chief Financial Officer, Christopher Paisley, our Chief Operating Officer, Ron Sege, and our Chief Acquisition Officer, Yashwanth Hemaraj.
Eric Benhamou, our Chief Executive Officer and a director, founded and served as President and Chief Financial Officer for ChaSerg Technology Acquisition Corp (formerly Nasdaq: CTAC), a SPAC which completed its initial public offering in October 2018, generating gross proceeds of $220 million. In March 2020, CTAC completed its initial business combination with Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”). Grid Dynamics is a driver of enterprise-level digital transformation in the Fortune 1000, developing next generation solutions in artificial intelligence, data science, cloud computing, Big Data and DevOps to accelerate enterprise digitization for its clients across the financial, technology and retail sectors. Mr. Benhamou has been a director of Grid Dynamics since 2015.
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Mr. Benhamou co-founded Bridge Communications, a specialist in computer network technologies, which completed its IPO on Nasdaq in 1985 and merged with 3Com Corporation (“3Com”) (formerly Nasdaq: COMS) (“3Com”), a networking equipment vendor, in 1987. Thereafter, Mr. Benhamou became Chief Executive Officer of 3Com, serving from 1990 to 2000, and as chairman until 2010. During his tenure as CEO of 3Com, stock price increased by over 90x and revenue grew to over $5 billion. As 3Com’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Benhamou led the company in acquiring US Robotics, the owner of Palm, Inc. (“Palm”), the maker of the groundbreaking Palm Pilot. Palm was thereafter spun off in an IPO in March 2000 (formerly Nasdaq: PALM), and Mr. Benhamou served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2003. Mr. Benhamou continued to serve as Chairman of both 3Com and Palm until their eventual sale to Hewlett-Packard in 2010. In 2004, Mr. Benhamou founded Benhamou Global Ventures (“BGV”), a venture firm now investing in Enterprise 4.0 companies, a new wave of cloud native startups that combine artificial intelligence, intelligent automation and proprietary access to data to transform enterprise businesses globally. Since 2004, BGV’s investments into technology companies have resulted in 18 successful company sales, including the sale in 2020 of Ayehu Software Technologies, an IT workflow automation solution provider, to Insight Partners, a global private equity and venture capital firm, the sale in 2019 of IdentityMind Global Inc., an identity-based platform for e-commerce, to Acuant, an identity verification global solutions provider, and the sale in 2019 of Profitect Inc., a retail and consumer packaged goods prescriptive analytics provider, to Zebra Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a data capture and automatic identification enterprise solutions provider, as well as several IPOs, including Voltaire Ltd., Finjan Holdings Inc. and Grid Dynamics.
Mr. Benhamou has served on the board of directors of Grid Dynamics (Nasdaq: GDYN) as the Chair of the Compensation Committee since 2015 and has also served on the board of directors as the Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee since 2004 of Silicon Valley Bank (Nasdaq: SIVB), a technology-focused commercial bank. Previously, Mr. Benhamou served as a member of the board of directors of Finjan Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: FNJN), a leader in cybersecurity, from 2013 until July 2020 and as a member of the board of directors of Cypress Semiconductor (formerly Nasdaq: CY), a semiconductor design and manufacturing company, and served as Chairman for over a decade until 2017. Mr. Benhamou also serves on the board of directors for multiple private companies. Mr. Benhamou has also taught entrepreneurship in various business schools around the world for over 10 years, principally at INSEAD, Stanford University and IDC’s Herzliya’s Arison School of Business, where he was a visiting professor. Mr. Benhamou also served on the Advisory Board of Stanford University’s School of Engineering and the Board of Governors of Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.
Christopher Paisley, our Chief Financial Officer and a director nominee, has served as Dean’s Executive Professor of Accounting at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University since January 2001. Prior to academia, Mr. Paisley served as the Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer for 3Com from 1985 to 2000. During Mr. Paisley’s 15 years at 3Com, the company grew from $50 million to over $5 billion in sales, ranking in the top 300 on the May 2000 Fortune 500 list. Prior to joining 3Com, Mr. Paisley served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Ridge Computers, a scientific workstation manufacturer, from 1982 to 1985. Previously, Mr. Paisley was employed by Hewlett-Packard Company, a global hardware and software technology company, for five years in a variety of accounting and finance positions.
Mr. Paisley has extensive public company board experience and currently serves on multiple public companies’ board of directors, including serving as the Lead Independent Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, and as a member of the Finance, Governance and Real Estate Committees at Equinix Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), a global digital infrastructure company, since 2007; as Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Nominating and Governance Committee at Ambarella Inc. (Nasdaq: AMBA), a developer of low-power system-on-a-chip semiconductors, since 2012; and as Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Nominating and Governance Committee on the Board at Fastly Inc. (NYSE: FSLY), a cloud computing company offering a programmable edge cloud platform for developers as a service, since 2018. Previously, Mr. Paisley has served on numerous boards of public companies, eight of which he joined while private that subsequently went through a successful IPO. Mr. Paisley served as Chairman of the Board at Silicon Image Inc. and Volterra Semiconductor Corporation and as Lead Independent Director at Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) and Control 4. Mr. Paisley also served as a board member of 3Par, Applied Digital Access, Aspect Telecommunications, Bridge Bank, Brocade, Electronics for Imaging, Fitbit, Legato Systems, Persistence Software, Riverstone Networks, WJ Communications and YuMe.
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Ron Sege, our Chief Operating Officer, brings over 35 years of experience in the telecommunications, data communications and online search industries. Mr. Sege has been a Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures since 2018. Prior to BGV, from 2011 to through 2018, Mr. Sege served as Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Echelon Corporation (Nasdaq: ELON) (“Echelon”), a pioneering developer and supplier of Industrial Internet of Things semiconductors and control solutions. During his tenure at Echelon, Mr. Sege divested unprofitable businesses and oversaw acquisitions of growth businesses and the sale of Echelon to Adesto Technologies. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Sege served as President and Chief Operating Officer of 3Com where he oversaw all non-China product development, sales and support operations. During his tenure as President and Chief Operating Officer of 3Com, Mr. Sege consolidated product operations to improve profitability and led the expansion of target markets to include data center networking solutions. Mr. Sege engineered and promoted 3Com’s “China out” strategy that led to the $2.7 billion acquisition of 3Com by Hewlett-Packard, an acquisition resulting in more than 230% stock price appreciation for 3Com shareholders over Mr. Sege’s tenure as COO. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Sege was Chief Executive Officer and a director for Tropos Networks, a venture capital backed company pioneering wireless RF mesh solutions for creating private WiFi networks over large outdoor areas, which was later acquired by ABB (NYSE: ABB) in 2012. Prior to Tropos Networks, Mr. Sege served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Ellacoya Networks from 2001 to 2004, which developed and sold carrier-grade deep packet inspection (DPI) bandwidth management solutions into the competitive local exchange carrier marketplace. Ellacoya Networks, which was privately held, was acquired by Arbor Networks in 2008. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Sege was Executive Vice President of Lycos, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: LCOS), where he oversaw all product operations and marketing and integrated numerous acquisitions. In 2000, Lycos was acquired by Terra Networks, the internet arm of Telefonica, for $12.5 billion. Prior to Lycos, Mr. Sege held a variety of executive positions at 3Com and ROLM Corporation (NYSE: ROLM), where he integrated numerous acquisitions.
Mr. Sege has extensive public and private company board experience and currently serves as the Lead Independent Director at Ubiquiti Networks (NYSE: UI) since 2012, a developer of wide- and local-area wireless network solutions, as the Executive Chairman for Virtana, a privately held AIOps leader for enterprise hybrid cloud transformation and as a board member for EverestLabs.AI, a privately held artificial intelligence and robotics company focused on waste management. Mr. Sege has also served since 2016 as an advisor to McRock Capital, an early stage venture capital firm focused on the technology space based out of Toronto, Canada.
Yashwanth Hemaraj, our Chief Acquisition Officer, has served as a Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures since 2014. Mr. Hemaraj co-founded in 2018 and leads the operations of Arka Venture Labs, a cross-border accelerator platform for India-based B2B companies to scale globally. Mr. Hemaraj is a product leader with expertise in wireless systems, software, telecommunications, cloud services, and cybersecurity. Prior to his tenure at BGV, from 2008 to 2013, Mr. Hemaraj was one of the first engineers and a product manager at SpiderCloud Wireless, a venture-backed startup building indoor wireless systems which was acquired by Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) in 2017. Mr. Hemaraj serves as a director on multiple privately-held enterprise technology companies’ Boards of Directors, including Macrometa Corporation, an edge computing service and global data network provider since 2017, AiDash Inc., a software provider enabling satellite-powered operations and maintenance since 2020, Folloze Inc., an account based marketing engagement platform since 2019, Tagnos, a workflow orchestration software provider for hospitals and healthcare workers since 2018, and as a Board Observer at 6d Bytes Inc., a food robotics company since 2018 and BoostUp.ai, which offers connected software for revenue teams since 2020. Mr. Hemaraj previously served on the board of directors for Totango Inc., a customer success software company. Mr. Hemaraj is also a fellow of the Startup Leadership Program, Silicon Valley, a training program and professional network for the next generation of founders and entrepreneurs and has served on the Board for multiple non-profit organizations, including United Way Silicon Valley from 2011 to 2013, a nonprofit that focuses on education, income, and health projects.
In addition, our board of directors consists of a diverse group of executive operators, seasoned investors, and experienced counsel. Our board of directors upon the completion of this offering will include:
Kim Le, who will serve as Chair of the Audit Committee, brings over 25 years of experience in public accounting, internal auditing and building businesses. In 2003, Ms. Le founded and continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer of A2Q2 Corporation (“A2Q2”), a global Special Ops firm which assists growth tech companies in designing, implementing and scaling business processes, ERP systems and internal controls to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Some of Ms. Le’s noteworthy clients have included Airbnb (Nasdaq: ABNB), Chargepoint (NYSE: CHPT), Fastly (NYSE: FSLY), Proterra (Nasdaq: PTRA), Square (NYSE: SQ), and Uber (NYSE: UBER). In addition to her role at A2Q2, in 2018 Ms. Le founded and continues to serve as the Chief
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Executive Officer of Directors League Inc., a peer-to-peer community of corporate directors who currently serve on the boards of publicly traded companies, and also in 2020 founded and serves as Chief Executive Officer for SASI Robotics, Inc., a Robotics Process Automation as a service company. Ms. Le has an extensive background in advising boards of directors, audit committees and C-level executives on matters related to corporate governance and internal audit. Prior to founding A2Q2, Ms. Le served as a Senior Manager at Protiviti from 2002 to 2003, and from 1994 to 2002, she led financial statement audits, IPOs, revenue recognition and M&A due diligence as a manager at Arthur Andersen. Ms. Le is the recipient of the National Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award by Financial Executives International and the Trailblazer Award by the California Society of CPAs. Ms. Le has served on the Board of GSI Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIT), a provider of semiconductor memory solutions since 2020.
Sudhakar Ramakrishna is a global technology leader with nearly 25 years of experience across cloud, mobility, networking, security, and collaboration markets. Since January 2021, Mr. Ramakrishna has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SolarWinds Corporation (NYSE: SWI) (“SolarWinds”), a software solution provider that helps businesses manage their network, systems and information technology infrastructure. Prior to SolarWinds, from 2015 to 2020, Mr. Ramakrishna served as the CEO of Pulse Secure, LLC, a provider of secure and zero trust access solutions for Hybrid IT environments, where he was responsible for all aspects of business strategy and execution. Prior to Pulse Secure, Mr. Ramakrishna served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Enterprise and Service Provider Division at Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) (“Citrix”), where he had responsibility for Citrix’s portfolio of virtualization, cloud networking, mobile platforms, and cloud services solutions. Mr. Ramakrishna also has held senior leadership roles at Polycom, Motorola, and 3Com. Mr. Ramakrishna has served on the board of directors for SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SAIL), a leading enterprise identity security provider since June 2021.
Mona Sabet is a technology business executive with over 25 years of experience in technology transactions, acquisitions, technology ecosystem, software business models and corporate finance for small and large technology companies. Ms. Sabet has served as Chief Corporate Strategy Officer at UserTesting, a privately backed San Francisco-based company powering exceptional customer experiences through on-demand human insights since 2019. Prior to that, from 2016 to 2019, Ms. Sabet was a Managing Director at Tribal Advisors, a consulting and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for software and systems companies, where she advised early-stage technology companies on their growth and exit strategies. Prior to Tribal Advisors, Ms. Sabet served as Corporate Vice President, Business Development from 2010 to 2013 at Cadence Design Systems (Nasdaq: CDNS) (“Cadence”), a leader in electronic design software and hardware, where she led mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions and venture investments, delivering tens of millions of dollars in incremental revenue. Ms. Sabet also defined Cadence’s acquisition and partnership strategy, enabling the company to expand into adjacent growth markets. Ms. Sabet has also been an operator in two early-stage startups: Coverity, which led the market in the automation of the identification of software vulnerabilities, and Viblio, which pioneered automated tagging of user generated videos using machine learning and computer vision. Ms. Sabet is a Board member and an advisor to a number of technology startups and accelerators, including as a director for Taiga Robotics Corporation, a robotics company. Ms. Sabet serves on the Advisory Board of the Women in Data Science conference and datathon and spent a decade serving on the board of ChIPs Network, which works to advance discussions at the intersection of law, technology and policy. Ms. Sabet led the strategy and implementation as a General Manager at the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology that brought the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest annual convention of women technologists, from 8,000 to 15,000 attendees in two years. Ms. Sabet is also the founder of and a member of HiPower, a group of leaders championing women who drive big changes.
Judith Sim, who will serve as Chair of the Compensation Committee, is a Chief Marketing Officer with broad executive leadership and governance experience. During Ms. Sim’s tenure at Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), one of the largest global software providers known for database management systems, she served as Chief of Staff to the Office of the CEO and was Chief Marketing Officer from 2005 through 2020. Ms. Sim was responsible for global marketing, customer programs, sports marketing, brand and media communications for more than 15 years. Throughout her career with Oracle, she was able to help scale the company from $1 billion in annual revenue in 1991 to a reported $39 billion in 2020. Ms. Sim was often a featured speaker at Oracle events and industry conferences, delivering the opening Oracle OpenWorld keynote for more than 10 years, and she gave the keynote address at Oracle Modern Customer Experience about data, modern marketing and delivering experiences that drive emotion. Ms. Sim was also featured in discussions at Oracle’s College Hire Program, a series aimed at familiarizing new engineering graduates with Oracle’s culture, strategy and values. Since 2015, Ms. Sim has been a member of the board of directors at Fortinet Inc. (Nasdaq: FTNT), a provider of cybersecurity solutions, as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee and a member of the Corporate Governance
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and ESG Committees. Ms. Sim is also a director nominee for First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA), a global provider of technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety and compliance related to human capital, as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Sim is also on the board of directors for First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA), a global provider of technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety and compliance related to human capital, as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Sim has experience on private and non-profit boards, serving on the board of directors for DataStax, a venture-backed data management company, and having served as a member of the board of directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce from 2015 to 2020. In 2015 and 2016, the San Francisco Business Times named Ms. Sim one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business”.
We believe our management team reflects not just gender and racial diversity but also diversity of experience. Additionally, we have been committed, individually and collectively, to diversity, equality and inclusion in our companies and careers, working to develop and mentor other professionals and improve diversity and equality metrics through strategic hiring and promotion.
Past performance of our management team and advisors is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may complete. You should not rely on the historical performance record of our management team or advisors as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful. Some of our officers and directors have not had experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies. In addition, our executive officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our executive officers, directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such persons and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such other entities have with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”.
Explorer Acquisitions
Our sponsor has been formed as a collaboration between Eric Benhamou, our Chief Executive Officer, Alex Vieux, our Advisor, Steven Fletcher, our Advisor, and Explorer.
Founded in 2018 by Alex Vieux and Steve Fletcher, Explorer is a sponsor of a series of SPACs in partnership with proven executives such as Mr. Benhamou. Explorer employs approximately 20 professionals focused on the end-to-end SPAC lifecycle from initial public offering to diligence and initial business combination. Since its inception, Explorer has sponsored five SPACs to date, with collective proceeds of approximately $2.0 billion: ChaSerg Technology Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAC), a blank check company which completed an initial business combination with Grid Dynamics International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) in March 2020; Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation (formerly Nasdaq: APXT), a blank check company which completed initial business combination with AvePoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVPT) in July 2021; E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ETAC), a blank check company searching for a target business in the software and internet technology industries; Carney Technology Acquisition Corp. II (Nasdaq: CTAQ), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry; and Epiphany Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: EPHY), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry.
We may draw upon Explorer’s infrastructure, personnel, network and relationships to provide access to deal prospects, along with any necessary resources to aid in the identification and diligence of a business combination partner and subsequent execution of an initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Explorer has no written advisory agreement with us and will have no fiduciary obligations to us. Accordingly, they may present business combination opportunities to other entities prior to presenting them to us.
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Our Mission
Our goal is to complete an initial business combination with a high potential technology company valued between $500 million and $2.5 billion, with a sweet spot of $1 billion to $2 billion. By leveraging our management’s extensive industry operational and investment experience and extensive professional network, we believe we can bring substantial and symbiotic benefits to any acquired company.
The benefits we believe we offer to a target company include but are not limited to the following:
• Expertise in building successful companies: Our management team has a combined 120 years of leadership experience across both public and private companies, and across both hardware and software firms. They have identified tectonic industry shifts and built technology companies that have captured dominant market shares. They have demonstrated a strong track record of innovation across both software and hardware systems, building high-performance teams and global expansion. They have established go-to-market teams which have driven strong revenue and EBITDA growth, and helped set up the key governance practices and processes required of publicly traded companies. They have a successful track record of expansion of business lines into new markets and industry verticals through successful acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs and integrations. They have also demonstrated expertise in navigating the capital markets, delivering value to public investors as Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers of publicly traded companies
• Ability to mentor and support exceptional executives: Our officers have served on dozens of boards, including 25 public company boards, and our advisors, Alex Vieux and Steve Fletcher, have collectively served on over a dozen other boards. Our management team and advisors bring a unique combination of industry expertise and skills to identify and mentor top executive talent. We believe that this experience and knowledge base will be invaluable in helping an acquired company’s leadership achieve value creation milestones, navigate the competitive market dynamics and increase their odds of long-term success.
• Maximizing the value of becoming a publicly traded entity: We are committed to working with management and shareholders who aspire to have their company become a public entity and create substantial wealth. The benefits of transitioning from a private to a public entity may include a broader access to debt and equity providers for potential roll-up acquisitions, increased market branding and visibility and tangible incentives and liquidity for employees, which help hire and retain the best talent.
Acquisition Criteria
Our intent is to seek potential target businesses globally. We intend to accomplish this using a world-wide network of professional contacts that has been developed by our management team and advisors over many years. This network encompasses private equity firms, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
The maturity and judgment skills accumulated by our management team and advisors will guide our acquisition process. When candidate companies are being evaluated, we expect to use the following, non-exclusive criteria for determining opportunities.
• Target size: We intend to target entities whose enterprise value is between $500 million and $2.5 billion, with a sweet spot of $1 billion to $2 billion. We intend to seek companies which have a strong potential to grow within their market segment as well as clear expansion potential by expanding their product and services suite, which we believe offer long-term risk-adjusted return potential.
• Industry: We intend to focus on the technology industry aligned with our Enterprise 4.0 strategy, where we have significant operational and investment experience, as well as a substantial network. We believe our management team’s experience across various sub-sectors enables us to scout and evaluate a potential target quickly in order to secure favorable terms, as well as explore operational improvements, including additional roll-up acquisitions.
• Market opportunity: We intend to select investments in industry sub-segments that have favorable macro trends, long-term growth prospects and significant revenue growth potential.
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• Strong management team: We intend to seek companies with proven and accomplished management teams which are eager to partner with us and build the next phase of the company together. We intend to spend significant time assessing a company’s leadership team, culture and processes to ensure that the company has the human capital that global companies need to increase their odds of success and build sustainable value to its stakeholders.
• Operational discipline: We intend to select companies which have a repeatable go-to-market process, as well as the requisite controls and reporting processes in place. We expect to seek companies that can leverage our management team’s operational experience to further improve operational efficiencies, enhance alignment and accelerate growth.
• Competitive advantages: We intend to invest in companies that possess sustainable competitive advantages, both from a technological and business model standpoint, as well as substantial room for growth; we will look for the existence of strong product and service roadmaps for continued innovation, strong unit economics and continued potential for additional revenue, cost and thought leadership.
• Market presence: We intend to seek companies that are recognized market leaders in an emerging category with a sizable market share and the opportunity to achieve market leadership in a broader market through both organic and inorganic growth. They should also have defensible proprietary technology, unique datasets and intellectual property rights.
• Benefit from being public: We intend to seek targets that can inherently benefit from becoming a public company, including benefits such as acquisition capital, greater market visibility and branding among customers, enhanced access to debt and equity capital markets, and more tangible incentives for employee stock compensation.
• Appropriate valuations: Our management team members are rigorous, disciplined, and valuation-centric investors. We expect to enter a business combination only if it offers significant upside potential and limited risks.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant.
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. We intend to acquire a company with an enterprise value significantly above the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan. Depending on the size of the transaction or the number of public shares we become obligated to redeem, we may potentially utilize several additional financing sources, including but not limited to the issuance of additional securities to the sellers of a target business, debt issued by banks or other lenders or the owners of the target, a private placement to raise additional funds, or a combination of the foregoing. 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 to meet our obligations or our working capital needs, we may need to obtain additional financing.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations following this offering until our initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination.
If we pay for our initial business combination using shares or debt securities, or we do not use all of the funds released from the trust account for payment of the purchase price in connection with our business combination or for redemptions or purchases of our ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the
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trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired 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.
We have not selected any acquisition target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, with respect to identifying any acquisition target. From the period prior to our formation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no communications or discussions between any of our officers, directors or our sponsor and any of their potential contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination with us. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate, to conduct any research or take any measures, directly or indirectly, to locate or contact a target business. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. However, if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq or another securities exchange, we will no longer be subject to that requirement.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities to finance our initial business combination, and we may effectuate an 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 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 or Nasdaq, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing.
There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Sources of Acquisition Candidates
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds, brokers and other members of the financial community and corporate executives. These target candidates may present solicited or unsolicited proposals. We expect such sources to become aware that we are seeking a business combination candidate by a variety of means, including publicly available information relating to this offering, public relations and marketing efforts or direct contact by our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates following the completion of this offering.
Our officers, directors, and advisors as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their contacts. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only if our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will we pay our sponsor, officers or directors, or any entities with which they are affiliated, any finder’s fee, consulting 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), other than repayment of loans that
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our sponsor, members of our management team, board or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties may make to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination (provided that if we do not complete an initial business combination, we may use 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), (iii) payments to our sponsor or its affiliate of a total of $12,500 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, and (iv) reimbursements for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigation and completing an initial business combination. Although some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the acquired business following our initial business combination, the presence or absence of any such arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates. Additionally, we are not prohibited from partnering, submitting joint bids, or entering into any similar transaction with such persons in the pursuit of an initial business combination. If we seek to complete an initial business combination with such a company or we partner with such persons in our pursuit of an initial business combination, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Generally, such opinion is rendered to a company’s board of directors and investment banking firms may take the view that shareholders may not rely on the opinion. Such view will not impact our decision on which investment banking firm to hire.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain a financial fairness opinion from an independent investment banking firm. If we do not obtain such an opinion, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value and fairness based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. The application of such standards would involve a comparison, from a valuation standpoint, of our business combination target to comparable public companies, as applicable, and a comparison of our contemplated transaction with such business combination target to other then-recently announced comparable private and public company transactions, as applicable. The application of such standards and the basis of our board of directors’ determination will be discussed and disclosed in our tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Other Acquisition Considerations
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire regarding fairness of a transaction from a financial point of view that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an fairness opinion. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and/or placement units following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our directors and officers presently has, and in the future any of our directors and officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities (including blank check companies) pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, if any
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of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations and may need to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, we renounce, to the maximum extent permitted by law, any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in any business combination opportunity: (i) which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or its affiliates have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquires knowledge; or (ii) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to another entity, and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to our company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Initial Business Combination
The Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our board of directors 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 or accounting firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
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, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction 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 shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
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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 completion of our initial business combination.
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, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our shares or for a combination of our 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 some 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. 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.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may have a negative view of us since we are a blank check company, without an operating history, and there is uncertainty relating to our ability to obtain shareholder approval of our proposed initial business combination and retain sufficient funds in our trust account in connection therewith.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. 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 shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30th, 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 prior June 30th.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $246,250,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $282,437,500 assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $10,812,500 of deferred underwriting fees 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 ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
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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 effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the placement units, our shares, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may, although we do not currently intend to, 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, start-up companies or companies with speculative business plans or excess leverage, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A 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 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 effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
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 are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination
The Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. Our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our 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 or accounting firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
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To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of business diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
• subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination; and
• cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited ability to evaluate the target’s management team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that such 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.
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Under the Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• we issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding (other than in a public offering);
• 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 issued and 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.
Permitted purchases of our securities
In the event 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 sponsor, directors, officers 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 such persons may purchase. 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. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. 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. Subsequent to the completion of this offering, we expect to adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers 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 initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our 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 sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors 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
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our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors 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. Such persons would select the shareholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of 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 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 completion of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) 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 $10.20 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the representatives of the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our initial holders, sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
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 general 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. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and 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 requirement 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 the Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq 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 of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
• file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
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Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase 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 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 sponsor, 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (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 of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
• file proxy materials with the SEC.
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.
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 we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution or such higher percentage as may be required by Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own approximately 22.7% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of a business combination. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one-third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are present in person or by proxy.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an 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
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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 our 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 initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 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 sponsor or its affiliates 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 sponsor or its affiliates 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 initial 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 Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our initial holders, sponsor, officers and directors have, pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, waived their right to have any founder shares or public shares held by them redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. Unless any of our other affiliates acquires founder shares through a permitted transfer from an initial shareholder, and thereby becomes subject to the letter agreement, no such affiliate is subject to this waiver. However, to the extent any such affiliate acquires public shares in this offering or thereafter through open market purchases, it would be a public shareholder and restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to any Excess Shares.
Tendering share 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 (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents, 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, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. 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, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. 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. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. 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
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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 shares 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 general 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 general 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 general meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public 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 18 months from the closing of this offering.
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial 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 (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and dissolution expenses (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) 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 liquidation 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) 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 initial business combination within the 18-month time period.
Our initial holders, sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial holders, sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares 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.
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Our initial holders, sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would (i) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-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) 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (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 $1,400,000 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, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan, 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 $10.20. 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 $10.20. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all third parties (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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, 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. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third-party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) 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) $10.20 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as
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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 their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. None of our other 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) $10.20 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 in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.20 per 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 third parties (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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 $1,400,000, which will initially be available to us outside the trust account, from the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan, with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). 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 $600,000, 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 $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy insolvency 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 $10.20 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy insolvency 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 insolvency court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our company and/or may have acted in bad faith, and 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 upon the earlier of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public
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shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. 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.
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that:
• prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a general meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) in each case subject to the limitations described herein;
• we will complete our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such completion and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution or such higher percentage as may be required under Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association;
• if our initial business combination is not completed within 18 months from the closing of this offering, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and
• prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.
These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a special resolution under Cayman Islands law. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we may complete our initial business combination only if approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law.
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Comparison of redemption or purchase prices in connection with our initial business combination and if we fail to complete our initial 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 initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.
| | Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by 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 completion of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 either prior to or upon completion 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 sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. | | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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 $10.20 per share), including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and dissolution expenses, which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. |
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| | Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by 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 the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will 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 initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our sponsor, who will be our only remaining shareholder 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 | | The Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering, the private placement and the sponsor loan be deposited in a trust account. $255,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement units will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | | Approximately $212,625,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to 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. |
Investment of net proceeds | | $255,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the placement units and the sponsor loan 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. |
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| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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 and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 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. |
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | | The Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our 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 and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor and Mizuho inform us of their 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 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 reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. | | No trading of the units or the underlying ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
Exercise of the warrants | | The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | | 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. |
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| | 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 completion of our initial business combination, including interest, which interest shall be net of taxes payable, 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 proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution or such higher percentage as may be required by Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. | | 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 he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or 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. |
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| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
| | Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. | | |
Business combination deadline | | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and 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 liquidation 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
Release of funds | | Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend and restate our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have | | 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. |
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| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
| | their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The Company will instruct the Trustee to pay amounts from the trust account directly to redeeming holders. | | |
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote | | 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 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 Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public shareholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. | | Most blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination. |
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| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
Tendering share 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 (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the 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. | | In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic 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 us. In recent years, the number of SPACs that have been formed has increased substantially. Because there are more SPACs 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. 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. This may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination with a target business. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
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Conflicts of Interest
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future any of our directors and our officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, we renounce , to the maximum extent permitted by law, any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in any business combination opportunity: (i) which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or its affiliates have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquires knowledge; or (ii) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to another entity, and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to our company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
Indemnity
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third-party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) 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) $10.20 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, 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. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and believe our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 533 Airport Blvd, Suite 400, Burlingame, CA 94010. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $12,500 per month fee we will pay to our sponsor or its affiliate for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
As of the effective date of this prospectus, we will have four officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that our officers or any other members of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants 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 accounting firm.
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We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, U.S. GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with 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. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition 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 will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such 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 completion of our initial business combination.
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 ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
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.
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MANAGEMENT
Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Name | | Age | | Title |
Eric Benhamou | | 66 | | Chief Executive Officer and Director |
Christopher Paisley | | 69 | | Chief Financial Officer and Director nominee |
Ron Sege | | 64 | | Chief Operating Officer |
Yashwanth Hemaraj | | 38 | | Chief Acquisition Officer |
Kim Le | | 49 | | Director nominee |
Sudhakar Ramakrishna | | 53 | | Director nominee |
Mona Sabet | | 54 | | Director nominee |
Judith Sim | | 53 | | Director nominee |
Upon completion of this offering, our directors and officers will be as follows:
Eric Benhamou, our Chief Executive Officer and a director, founded and served as President and Chief Financial Officer for ChaSerg Technology Acquisition Corp (formerly Nasdaq: CTAC), a SPAC which completed its initial public offering in October 2018, generating gross proceeds of $220 million. In March 2020, CTAC completed its initial business combination with Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”). Grid Dynamics is a driver of enterprise-level digital transformation in the Fortune 1000, developing next generation solutions in artificial intelligence, data science, cloud computing, Big Data and DevOps to accelerate enterprise digitization for its clients across the financial, technology and retail sectors. Mr. Benhamou has been a director of Grid Dynamics since 2015.
Mr. Benhamou co-founded Bridge Communications, a specialist in computer network technologies, which completed its IPO on Nasdaq in 1985 and merged with 3Com Corporation (“3Com”) (formerly Nasdaq: COMS), a networking equipment vendor, in 1987. Thereafter, Mr. Benhamou became Chief Executive Officer of 3Com, serving from 1990 to 2000, and as chairman until 2010. During his tenure as CEO of 3Com, stock price increased by over 90x and revenue grew to over $5 billion. As 3Com’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Benhamou led the company in acquiring US Robotics, the owner of Palm, Inc. (“Palm”), the maker of the groundbreaking Palm Pilot. Palm was thereafter spun off in an IPO in March 2000 (formerly Nasdaq: PALM), and Mr. Benhamou served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2003. Mr. Benhamou continued to serve as Chairman of both 3Com and Palm until their eventual sale to Hewlett-Packard in 2010. In 2004, Mr. Benhamou founded Benhamou Global Ventures (“BGV”), a venture firm now investing in Enterprise 4.0 companies, a new wave of cloud native startups that combine artificial intelligence, intelligent automation and proprietary access to data to transform enterprise businesses globally. Since 2004, BGV’s investments into technology companies have resulted in 18 successful company sales, including the sale in 2020 of Ayehu Software Technologies LTd., an IT workflow automation solution provider, to Insight Partners, a global private equity and venture capital firm, the sale in 2019 of IdentityMind Global Inc., an identity-based platform for e-commerce, to Acuant, an identity verification global solutions provider, and the sale in 2019 of Profitect Inc., a retail and consumer packaged goods prescriptive analytics provider, to Zebra Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a data capture and automatic identification enterprise solutions provider, as well as several IPOs, including Voltaire Ltd., Finjan Holdings Inc. and Grid Dynamics. Mr. Benhamou has served on the board of directors of Grid Dynamics (Nasdaq: GDYN) as the Chair of the Compensation Committee since 2015 and has also served on the board of directors as the Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee since 2004 of Silicon Valley Bank (Nasdaq: SIVB), a technology-focused commercial bank. Previously, Mr. Benhamou served as a member of the board of directors of Finjan Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: FNJN), a leader in cybersecurity, from 2013 until July 2020 and as a member of the board of directors of Cypress Semiconductor (formerly Nasdaq: CY), a semiconductor design and manufacturing company, and served as Chairman for over a decade until 2017. Mr. Benhamou also serves on the board of directors for multiple private companies. Mr. Benhamou has also taught entrepreneurship in various business schools around the world for over 10 years, principally at INSEAD, Stanford University and IDC’s Herzliya’s Arison School of Business, where he was a visiting professor. Mr. Benhamou also served on the Advisory Board of Stanford University’s School of Engineering and the Board of Governors of Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. Mr. Benhamou earned an M.S. from Stanford University’s School of Engineering, as well as a Diplôme d’Ingénieur and a Doctorate from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers, Paris. We believe Mr. Benhamou is well qualified to serve as a director due to his extensive operational, executive, investing and board experience in the technology industry.
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Christopher Paisley, our Chief Financial Officer and a director nominee, has served as Dean’s Executive Professor of Accounting at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University since January 2001. Prior to academia, Mr. Paisley served as the Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer for 3Com from 1985 to 2000. During Mr. Paisley’s 15 years at 3Com, the company grew from $50 million to over $5 billion in sales, ranking in the top 300 on the May 2000 Fortune 500 list. Prior to joining 3Com, Mr. Paisley served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Ridge Computers, a scientific workstation manufacturer, from 1982 to 1985. Previously, Mr. Paisley was employed by Hewlett-Packard Company, a global hardware and software technology company, for five years in a variety of accounting and finance positions. Mr. Paisley has extensive public company board experience and currently serves on multiple public companies’ board of directors, including serving as the Lead Independent Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, and as a member of the Finance, Governance and Real Estate Committees at Equinix Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), a global digital infrastructure company, since 2007; as Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Nominating and Governance Committee at Ambarella Inc. (Nasdaq: AMBA), a developer of low-power system-on-a-chip semiconductors, since 2012; and as Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Nominating and Governance Committee on the Board at Fastly Inc. (NYSE: FSLY), a cloud computing company offering a programmable edge cloud platform for developers as a service, since 2018. Previously, Mr. Paisley has served on numerous boards of public companies, eight of which he joined while private that subsequently went through a successful IPO. Mr. Paisley served as Chairman of the Board at Silicon Image Inc. and Volterra Semiconductor Corporation and as Lead Independent Director at Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) and Control 4. Mr. Paisley also served as a board member of 3Par, Applied Digital Access, Aspect Telecommunications, Bridge Bank, Brocade, Electronics for Imaging, Fitbit, Legato Systems, Persistence Software, Riverstone Networks, WJ Communications and YuMe. Mr. Paisley earned a M.B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles and a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara in Economics. We believe Mr. Paisley is well qualified to serve as a director due to his extensive operational, finance and board experience in the technology industry.
Ron Sege, our Chief Operating Officer, brings over 35 years of experience in the telecommunications, data communications and online search industries. Mr. Sege has been a Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures since 2018. Prior to BGV, from 2011 to through 2018, Mr. Sege served as Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Echelon Corporation (Nasdaq: ELON) (“Echelon”), a pioneering developer and supplier of Industrial Internet of Things semiconductors and control solutions. During his tenure at Echelon, Mr. Sege divested unprofitable businesses and oversaw acquisitions of growth businesses and the sale of Echelon to Adesto Technologies. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Sege served as President and Chief Operating Officer of 3Com where he oversaw all non-China product development, sales and support operations. During his tenure as President and Chief Operating Officer of 3Com, Mr. Sege consolidated product operations to improve profitability and led the expansion of target markets to include data center networking solutions. Mr. Sege engineered and promoted 3Com’s “China out” strategy that led to the $2.7 billion acquisition of 3Com by Hewlett-Packard, an acquisition resulting in more than 230% stock price appreciation for 3Com shareholders over Mr. Sege’s tenure as COO. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Sege was Chief Executive Officer and a director for Tropos Networks, a venture capital backed company pioneering wireless RF mesh solutions for creating private WiFi networks over large outdoor areas, which was later acquired by ABB (NYSE: ABB) in 2012. Prior to Tropos Networks, Mr. Sege served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Ellacoya Networks from 2001 to 2004, which developed and sold carrier-grade deep packet inspection (DPI) bandwidth management solutions into the competitive local exchange carrier marketplace. Ellacoya Networks, which was privately held, was acquired by Arbor Networks in 2008. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Sege was Executive Vice President of Lycos, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: LCOS), where he oversaw all product operations and marketing and integrated numerous acquisitions. In 2000, Lycos was acquired by Terra Networks, the internet arm of Telefonica, for $12.5 billion. Prior to Lycos, Mr. Sege held a variety of executive positions at 3Com and ROLM Corporation (NYSE: ROLM), where he integrated numerous acquisitions. Mr. Sege has extensive public and private company board experience and currently serves as the Lead Independent Director at Ubiquiti Networks (NYSE: UI) since 2012, a developer of wide- and local-area wireless network solutions, as the Executive Chairman for Virtana, a privately held AIOps leader for enterprise hybrid cloud transformation and as a board member for EverestLabs.AI, a privately held artificial intelligence and robotics company focused on waste management. Mr. Sege has also served since 2016 as an advisor to McRock Capital, an early stage venture capital firm focused on the technology space based out of Toronto, Canada. Mr. Sege earned a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Pomona College in Economics.
Yashwanth Hemaraj, our Chief Acquisition Officer, has served as a Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures since 2014. Mr. Hemaraj co-founded in 2018 and leads the operations of Arka Venture Labs, a cross-border accelerator platform for India-based B2B companies to scale globally. Mr. Hemaraj is a product leader with
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expertise in wireless systems, software, telecommunications, cloud services, and cybersecurity. Prior to his tenure at BGV, from 2008 to 2013, Mr. Hemaraj was one of the first engineers and a product manager at SpiderCloud Wireless, a venture-backed startup building indoor wireless systems which was acquired by Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) in 2017. Mr. Hemaraj serves as a director on multiple privately-held enterprise technology companies’ Boards of Directors, including Macrometa Corporation, an edge computing service and global data network provider since 2017, AiDash Inc., a software provider enabling satellite-powered operations and maintenance since 2020, Folloze Inc., an account based marketing engagement platform since 2019, Tagnos, a workflow orchestration software provider for hospitals and healthcare workers since 2018, and as a Board Observer at 6d Bytes Inc., a food robotics company since 2018 and BoostUp.ai, which offers connected software for revenue teams since 2020. Mr. Hemaraj previously served on the board of directors for Totango Inc., a customer success software company. Mr. Hemaraj is also a fellow of the Startup Leadership Program, Silicon Valley, a training program and professional network for the next generation of founders and entrepreneurs and has served on the Board for multiple non-profit organizations, including United Way Silicon Valley from 2011 to 2013, a non-profit that focuses on education, income, and health projects. Mr. Hemaraj earned a M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a M.S. from University of Maryland and a B.Eng. from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India.
In addition, our board of directors consists of a diverse group of executive operators, seasoned investors, and experienced counsel. Our board of directors upon the completion of this offering will include:
Kim Le, who will serve as Chair of the Audit Committee, brings over 25 years of experience in public accounting, internal auditing and building businesses. In 2003, Ms. Le founded and, continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer of A2Q2 Corporation (“A2Q2”), a global Special Ops firm which assists growth tech companies in designing, implementing and scaling business processes, ERP systems and internal controls to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Some of Ms. Le’s noteworthy clients have included Airbnb (Nasdaq: ABNB), Chargepoint (NYSE: CHPT), Fastly (NYSE: FSLY), Proterra (Nasdaq, PTRA), Square (NYSE: SQ) and Uber (NYSE: UBER). In addition to her role at A2Q2, in 2018 Ms. Le founded and continues to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Directors League Inc., a peer-to-peer community of corporate directors who currently serve on the boards of publicly traded companies, and also in 2020 founded and serves as Chief Executive Officer for SASI Robotics, Inc., a Robotics Process Automation as a service company. Ms. Le has an extensive background in advising boards of directors, audit committees and C-level executives on matters related to corporate governance and internal audit. Prior to founding A2Q2, Ms. Le served as a Senior Manager at Protiviti from 2002 to 2003, and from 1994 to 2002, she led financial statement audits, IPOs, revenue recognition and M&A due diligence as a manager at Arthur Andersen. Ms. Le is the recipient of the National Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award by Financial Executives International and the Trailblazer Award by the California Society of CPAs. Ms. Le has served on the Board of GSI Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIT), a provider of semiconductor memory solutions since 2020. Ms. Le earned a B.S. from Arizona State University in Accountancy and is a licensed CPA in California and Arizona. We believe Ms. Le is well-qualified to serve as a director because of her significant experience in the financial and technology industries and extensive understanding of public company operations.
Sudhakar Ramakrishna is a global technology leader with nearly 25 years of experience across cloud, mobility, networking, security, and collaboration markets. Since January 2021, Mr. Ramakrishna has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SolarWinds Corporation (NYSE: SWI) (“SolarWinds”), a software solution provider that helps businesses manage their network, systems and information technology infrastructure. Prior to SolarWinds, from 2015 to 2020, Mr. Ramakrishna served as the CEO of Pulse Secure, LLC, a provider of secure and zero trust access solutions for Hybrid IT environments, where he was responsible for all aspects of business strategy and execution. Prior to Pulse Secure, Mr. Ramakrishna served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Enterprise and Service Provider Division at Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) (“Citrix”), where he had responsibility for Citrix’s portfolio of virtualization, cloud networking, mobile platforms, and cloud services solutions. Mr. Ramakrishna also has held senior leadership roles at Polycom, Motorola, and 3Com. Mr. Ramakrishna has served on the board of directors for SailPoint Technologies Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SAIL), a leading enterprise identity security provider since June 2021. Mr. Ramakrishna earned a M.S. in Computer Science from Kansas State University and a Master of Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. We believe Mr. Ramakrishna is well-qualified to serve as a director because of his significant leadership experience in the technology industry and extensive understanding of public company operations.
Mona Sabet is a technology business executive with over 25 years of experience in technology transactions, acquisitions, technology ecosystem, software business models and corporate finance for small and large technology companies. Ms. Sabet has served as Chief Corporate Strategy Officer at UserTesting, a privately backed San
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Francisco-based company powering exceptional customer experiences through on-demand human insights since 2019. Prior to that, from 2016 to 2019, Ms. Sabet was a Managing Director at Tribal Advisors, a consulting and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for software and systems companies, where she advised early-stage technology companies on their growth and exit strategies. Prior to Tribal Advisors, Ms. Sabet served as Corporate Vice President, Business Development from 2010 to 2013 at Cadence Design Systems (Nasdaq: CDNS) (“Cadence”), a leader in electronic design software and hardware, where she led mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions and venture investments, delivering tens of millions of dollars in incremental revenue. Ms. Sabet also defined Cadence’s acquisition and partnership strategy, enabling the company to expand into adjacent growth markets. Ms. Sabet has also been an operator in two early-stage startups: Coverity, which led the market in the automation of the identification of software vulnerabilities, and Viblio, which pioneered automated tagging of user generated videos using machine learning and computer vision. Ms. Sabet is a board member and an advisor to a number of technology startups and accelerators, including as a director for Taiga Robotics Corporation, a robotics company. Ms. Sabet serves on the Advisory Board of the Women in Data Science conference and datathon and spent a decade serving on the board of ChIPs Network, which works to advance discussions at the intersection of law, technology and policy. Ms. Sabet led the strategy and implementation as a General Manager at the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology that brought the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest annual convention of women technologists, from 8,000 to 15,000 attendees in two years. Ms. Sabet is also the founder of and a member of HiPower, a group of leaders championing women who drive big changes. Ms. Sabet earned an engineering degree from the University of Toronto, a J.D. from Western University, and management certificates from Simon Fraser University and the University of California Berkeley. We believe Ms. Sabet is well-qualified to serve as a director because of her commitment to bringing more diversity to businesses of the future and significant experience within the financial and technology industries where she has led, operated, and advised technology companies.
Judith Sim, who will serve as Chair of the Compensation Committee, is a Chief Marketing Officer with broad executive leadership and governance experience. During Ms. Sim’s tenure at Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), one of the largest global software providers known for database management systems, she served as Chief of Staff to the Office of the CEO and was Chief Marketing Officer from 2005 through 2020. Ms. Sim was responsible for global marketing, customer programs, sports marketing, brand and media communications for more than 15 years. Throughout her career with Oracle, she was able to help scale the company from $1 billion in annual revenue in 1991 to a reported $39 billion in 2020. Ms. Sim was often a featured speaker at Oracle events and industry conferences, delivering the opening Oracle OpenWorld keynote for more than 10 years, and she gave the keynote address at Oracle Modern Customer Experience about data, modern marketing and delivering experiences that drive emotion. Ms. Sim was also featured in discussions at Oracle’s College Hire Program, a series aimed at familiarizing new engineering graduates with Oracle’s culture, strategy and values. Since 2015, Ms. Sim has been a member of the board of directors at Fortinet Inc. (Nasdaq: FTNT), a provider of cybersecurity solutions, as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee and a member of the Corporate Governance and ESG Committees. Ms. Sim is also a director nominee for First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA), a global provider of technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety and compliance related to human capital, as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Sim is also on the board of directors for First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA), a global provider of technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety and compliance related to human capital, as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Sim has experience on private and non-profit boards, serving on the board of directors for DataStax, a venture-backed data management company, and having served as a member of the board of directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce from 2015 to 2020. In 2015 and 2016, the San Francisco Business Times named Ms. Sim one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business”. Ms. Sim earned a B.S. from the University of California Davis. We believe Ms. Sim is well-qualified to serve as a director because of her significant go-to-market experience within the B2B and high tech industries and her governance experience as a public company director.
Furthermore, our advisors upon the completion of this offering will include:
Advisors
Alex Vieux is the Chief Executive Officer of Herring International, a Belgian corporation. Over the last 35 years, he has worked with and engaged C-suite executives from five continents, scouting disruptive companies later embraced by the markets. Red Herring has ranked the most prominent startups in the global technology industry and featured them in its publication since 1993. Many of the Red Herring “Top 100” end up being acquired or going
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public. Mr. Vieux started his career at Arthur Andersen/Accenture. Then he co-founded two technology companies, C•ATS Software and Renaissance Software, both fintech startups that either went public or were sold in the 1990s. He also founded ETRE, The European Technology Roundtable Exhibition, a yearly forum assembling 800 technology world leaders. He was elected to the board of directors of Tandem Computers and Computer Associates (listed on NYSE), Checkpoint Software, Commerce One and Qualys (listed on Nasdaq) as well as dozens of private companies. Mr. Vieux served as an advisor to ChaSerg Technology Acquisition Corp. (formerly Nasdaq: CTAC), a blank check company which completed an initial business combination with Grid Dynamics International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) in March 2020 and to Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation (formerly Nasdaq: APXT), a blank check company which completed an initial business combination with AvePoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVPT) in July 2021. Mr. Vieux serves as an advisor to E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ETAC), a blank check company searching for a target business in the software and internet technology industries, Carney Technology Acquisition Corp. II (Nasdaq: CTAQ), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry, and Epiphany Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: EPHY), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry. A graduate of the Institut d’études politiques de Paris and the French business school HEC, Mr. Vieux also earned a law degree from the Universite de Paris and an M.B.A. from Stanford University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
Steven Fletcher advised numerous technology companies on mergers, acquisitions and other strategic transactions in his 24 year career as an investment banker. Mr. Fletcher worked in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs for more than eight years, where he held a number of leadership roles including head of Information Technology Services banking, head of Systems and Storage banking and head of the Private Placement Group.
In 2003, he helped to start a new investment bank, GCA (formerly known as Savvian LLC), which has grown to over 400 professionals. Mr. Fletcher was a member of GCA’s U.S. management committee and head of the software group and co-head of the digital media group. Mr. Fletcher has worked on transactions with companies including some of the biggest names in the technology industry as well as hundreds of growth and middle-market technology companies. He served as an advisor to ChaSerg Technology Acquisition Corp. (formerly Nasdaq: CTAC), a blank check company which completed an initial business combination with Grid Dynamics International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) in March 2020, and to Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation (formerly Nasdaq: APXT), a blank check company which completed an initial business combination with AvePoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVPT) in July 2021. Mr. Fletcher serves as an advisor to E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ETAC), a blank check company searching for a target business in the software and internet technology industries, Carney Technology Acquisition Corp. II (Nasdaq: CTAQ), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry, and Epiphany Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: EPHY), a blank check company searching for a target business in the technology industry. Mr. Fletcher also serves on the board of directors of Lee Enterprises (Nasdaq: LEE), a US media company. He holds a B.A. in Economics from UCLA and an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
We currently expect our advisors to (i) assist us in sourcing and negotiating with potential business combination targets, (ii) provide their business insights when we assess potential business combination targets and (iii) upon our request, provide their business insights as we work to create additional value in the businesses that we acquire. In this regard, they will fulfill some of the same functions as our board members. However, they have no written advisory agreement with us. Moreover, our advisors will not be under any fiduciary obligations to us nor will they perform board or committee functions, nor will they have any voting or decision making capacity on our behalf. They will also not be required to devote any specific amount of time to our efforts or be subject to the fiduciary requirements to which our board members are subject. Accordingly, if any of our advisors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the entities to which he has fiduciary or contractual obligations (including other blank check companies), he will honor his fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We may modify or expand our roster of advisors as we source potential business combination targets or create value in businesses that we may acquire.
Number, Terms of Office and Appointment of Officers and Directors
We will have six directors upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. 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 general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Mr. Ramakrishna and Ms. Sabet, will expire at our first annual annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Mses. Le and Sim, will expire
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at the second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Benhamou and Paisley, will expire at the third annual general meeting. Holders of our founder shares will have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to completion of our initial business combination and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended (i) prior to the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of the votes cast by the holders of issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote, or (ii) in connection with and immediately prior to the completion of an initial business combination or following the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote.
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 provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
The Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person who has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have four “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering, which make up a majority of our board of directors.
Our board has determined that each of Mses. Lee, Sabet and Sim, and Mr. Ramakrishna is an independent director under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. 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 have received any cash compensation from us for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on the Nasdaq through the earlier of completion of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay our sponsor or its affiliate a total of $12,500 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Our sponsor, officers and directors, or entities with which they are affiliated, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or any entity with which they are affiliated.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other 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. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time such materials are distributed, 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 by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
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We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the completion of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after the initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms part, our board of directors will have two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Each committee will operate under a charter that has been approved by our board and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. We will file a copy of our audit committee charter and compensation committee charter as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, Nasdaq rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and Nasdaq rules require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. The members of our audit committee will be Ms. Le, Mr. Ramakrishna and Ms. Sabet. Ms. Le will serve as chairman of the audit committee. We plan to utilize the phase-in exemption under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and the Nasdaq rules and expect that a majority of the members of our audit committee will satisfy the independence standards promulgated by the SEC and by Nasdaq within 90 days of the closing of this offering and all members of our audit committee will satisfy the independence standards promulgated by the SEC and by Nasdaq within 12 months of the closing of this offering.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate, and our board of directors has determined that Ms. Le 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 registered public accounting firm and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
• pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the registered public accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;
• reviewing and discussing with the registered public accounting firm 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 registered public accounting firm;
• setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
• obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the registered public accounting firm describing (i) the registered public accounting firm’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;
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• 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 registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our compensation committee will be Mses. Sim and Le. Ms. Sim will serve as chairman of the compensation committee. We plan to utilize the phase-in exemption under the Nasdaq rules and expect that both members of our compensation committee will satisfy the independence standards promulgated by Nasdaq within 90 days of the closing of this offering.
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’s based on such evaluation;
• reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other officers;
• reviewing 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;
• 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.
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 the Nasdaq and the SEC.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will initially participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are the Mses. Le, Sabet, Sim, and Mr. Ramakrishna. Any independent directors elected in the future will also participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, he is independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
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Prior to our initial business combination, the board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by holders of our founder shares during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for appointment at an annual general meeting (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting). Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors and officers. We will file a copy of our form of Code of Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement. 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 “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
• duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
• duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
• directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
• duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
• duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience which that director has.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Each of our directors and officers presently has, and in the future any of our directors and officers may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities (including blank check companies) pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations and may need to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we renounce, to the maximum extent permitted by law, any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in any business combination opportunity: (i) which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or its affiliates have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquires knowledge; or (ii) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to another entity, and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to
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our company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
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.
• 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. For a complete description of our management’s other affiliations, see “— Directors and Officers.”
• Each of the holders of the founder shares and placement units has agreed that his, her or its founder shares and placement shares, as applicable, will be subject to transfer restrictions and that he, she or it will not sell or transfer such shares until the applicable forfeiture provisions no longer apply. Holders of founder shares and placement shares have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares, as applicable, (i) in connection with the completion of a business combination, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option) and (iii) if we fail to complete a business combination within the 18 months period or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The initial holders have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the completion of a business combination and in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 the 18 month period. However, our initial holders will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by them if we fail to complete a business combination or liquidate within the 18 month period. To the extent our holders of founder shares or placement shares transfer any of these securities to certain permitted transferees, such permitted transferees will agree, as a condition to such transfer, to waive these same redemption rights. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such 18 month period, the portion of the proceeds of the sale of the placement units placed into the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares, placement shares or placement warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months of the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option). Except as described under “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units”, the founder shares, placement units and their underlying securities will not be transferable, assignable or salable.
• 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 sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
• Our sponsor has agreed to lend us $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) as of the closing date of this offering at no interest. The proceeds of the sponsor loan will be deposited into the trust account and will be repaid or converted into sponsor loan units at a conversion
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price of $10.00 per unit, at the sponsor’s discretion, at any time up until the consummation of an initial business combination. The sponsor loan is being extended in order to ensure that the amount in the trust account is $10.20 per public share. If we do not complete an initial business combination and the sponsor loan has not been converted into sponsor loan units prior to such time, we will not repay the sponsor loan and its proceeds will be distributed to our public shareholders. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor loan. The sponsor loan units would be identical to the placement units.
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
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. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
Individual(1) | | Entity | | Entity’s Business | | Affiliation |
Eric Benhamou | | Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC | | Venture Capital | | Founder and General Partner |
| | Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) | | IT Services | | Director |
| | Silicon Valley Bank (Nasdaq: SIVB) | | Commercial Bank | | Director |
| | Evinced, Inc. | | Software Platform | | Director |
| | Secret Double Octopus, Ltd. | | Cybersecurity | | Director |
| | Virtana | | Cloud Platform | | Director |
| | 6d Bytes, Inc. | | Robotics | | Director |
| | Totango, Inc. | | Customer Service Software | | Director |
| | | | | | |
Christopher Paisley | | Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) | | Digital Infrastructure | | Director |
| | Ambarella, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMBA) | | Semiconductor Design | | Director |
| | Fastly, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLY) | | Cloud Platform | | Director |
| | | | | | |
Ron Sege | | Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC | | Venture Capital | | Partner |
| | Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. (NYSE: UI) | | Wireless Data | | Director |
| | Virtana | | Cloud Platform | | Executive Chairman |
| | EverestLabs.AI | | Artificial Intelligence and Robotics | | Director |
| | | | | | |
Yashwanth Hemaraj | | Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC | | Venture Capital | | Partner |
| | Arka Venture Labs Fund, L.P. | | Venture Capital | | Founder and Partner |
| | Macrometa Corporation | | Computing and Data Provider | | Director |
| | AiDash, Inc. | | Artificial Intelligence | | Director |
| | Folloze, Inc. | | Marketing Software | | Director |
| | Tagnos, Inc. | | Healthcare Software | | Director |
| | | | | | |
Kim Le | | A2Q2 Corporation | | Accounting and Audit Consulting | | Chief Executive Officer |
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Individual(1) | | Entity | | Entity’s Business | | Affiliation |
Sudhakar Ramakrishna | | SolarWinds Corporation (NYSE: SWI) | | IT Software Developer | | Director, President and Chief Executive Officer |
| | SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SAIL) | | Securities Cloud Solutions | | Director |
| | | | | | |
Mona Sabet | | UserTesting, Inc. | | Human Insight Platform | | Chief Corporate Strategy Officer |
| | Taiga Robotics Corporation | | Robotics | | Director |
| | | | | | |
Judith Sim | | Fortinet, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTNT) | | Cybersecurity | | Director |
| | First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA) | | Information Services | | Director |
| | DataStax, Inc. | | Data Management | | Director |
Accordingly, if any of the above officers or directors become aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the above entities to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination, because, although many of the foregoing entities are involved in the technology and technology-enabled industry broadly defined, the specific industry focuses of a majority of these entities differ from our focus on technology and technology-enabled businesses and the type or size of the transaction that such companies would most likely consider are of a size and nature substantially different than what we are targeting.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with such a company, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire 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 public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and placement shares held by them (and their permitted transferees will agree) 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, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 or willful default. We may 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.
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.
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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 in the private placement, 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 issued and outstanding ordinary shares;
• each of our officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially own ordinary shares; and
• all our officers, directors and director nominees 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. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus. The below assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 937,500 founder shares, that our sponsor converts the sponsor loan in full, and that there are 32,450,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering and the private placement.
| | Prior to the Offering(1) | | Following the Offering(2)(3) |
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(4) | | Number of shares | | Percentage of outstanding shares | | Number of shares | | Percentage of outstanding shares |
ENT4.0 Technology Sponsor LLC(5) | | 7,187,500 | | 100 | % | | 7,350,000 | | 22.7 | % |
Eric Benhamou(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Christopher Paisley(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Ron Sege(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Yashwanth Hemaraj(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Kim Le(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Sudhakar Ramakrishna(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Mona Sabet(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | | |
Judith Sim(5) | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
All directors and officers as a group (8 individuals)(5) | | 7,187,500 | | 100.0 | % | | 7,350,000 | | 22.7 | % |
After giving effect to the issuance of founder shares and private placement of the placement units, our initial holders and purchasers of the placement units will own 22.7% of the outstanding ordinary shares following the offering and 22.5% if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full (assuming that holders of founder shares and purchasers of the placement units do not purchase any public shares in the offering or the public market). Because of this ownership block, our initial holders and the holders of placement shares will have significant
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influence over the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the appointment of directors, amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.
To the extent the underwriters do not exercise the overallotment option, up to an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares will be forfeited. Our initial holders will be required to forfeit only a number of founder shares necessary so that the collective number of founder shares represents 20.0% of the aggregate of our founder shares and our public shares (not including shares underlying the placement units), in each case after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ overallotment option.
Our sponsor and the underwriters have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (600,000 placement units by our sponsor and 100,000 placement units by the underwriters), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. Each placement unit contains one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one whole warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one whole Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares, placement units or warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination with 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option). The placement units and their underlying securities are subject to the transfer restrictions described below under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units”). Otherwise, the placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
Our sponsor and directors and our officers and advisors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units
The founder shares, placement units, placement shares, placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the agreement entered into by our initial holders, sponsor and management team. Our initial holders, sponsor and our management team and advisors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell (i) in the case of the founder shares until the earliest of (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (b) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the placement units, placement shares, placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon exercise thereof, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers, our directors, the initial holders, other insiders (as defined in the letter agreement), (b) to an affiliate or immediate family member of any of our officers, directors, initial holders and other insiders, (c) to any member, officer or director of our sponsor, or any immediate family member, partner, affiliate or employee of a member of our sponsor, (d) by gift to any permitted transferee under any of the immediately preceding subsections (a) through (c), a trust, the beneficiaries of which are one or more permitted transferees under any of the immediately preceding subsections (a) through (c), or a charitable organization, (e) by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of any of our officers, our directors, the initial holders or members of our sponsor, (f) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to completion of our initial business combination, (h) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the sponsor, and (i) through private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement or in connection with the completion of
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our initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the founder shares, placement shares or warrants were originally purchased; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f), (h) and (i) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, placement units (including securities contained therein), securities that may be issued upon conversion of the sponsor loan and units (including securities contained therein) that may be issued upon conversion of loans made by our sponsor or one of its affiliates, and their permitted transferees, will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A ordinary shares) pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include such securities in other registration statements filed by us and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On July 9, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration for 7,187,500 founder shares. If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their overallotment option, holders of founder shares have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will forfeit up to an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares in proportion to the portion of the underwriters’ overallotment option that was not exercised.
Our sponsor and the underwriters have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (600,000 placement units by our sponsor and 100,000 placement units by the underwriters), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. The placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold in this offering, except that if held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, they may not, subject to certain limited exceptions (as described in more detail under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units”), be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares, placement shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor has agreed to lend us $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) as of the closing date of this offering at no interest. The proceeds of the sponsor loan will be deposited into the trust account and will be repaid or converted into sponsor loan units at a conversion price of $10.00 per unit, at the sponsor’s discretion, at any time up until the consummation of an initial business combination. The sponsor loan is being extended in order to ensure that the amount in the trust account is $10.20 per public share. If we do not complete an initial business combination and the sponsor loan has not been converted into sponsor loan units prior to such time, we will not repay the sponsor loan and its proceeds will be distributed to our public shareholders. Our sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the sponsor loan.
The placement units will be sold in a private placement pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) or Regulation D of the Securities Act and will be exempt from registration requirements under the federal securities laws. As such, the holders of the placement warrants included in the placement units will be able to exercise such placement warrants even if, at the time of exercise, an effective registration statement and a current prospectus relating to the ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants is not available. Other than repayment of any loans which our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties may make to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination (provided that if we do not complete an initial business combination, we may use 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), (iii) payments to our sponsor or its affiliate of a total of $12,500 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, and (iv) reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigation and completing an initial business combination, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made to our sponsor, officers or directors or any entities with which they are affiliated.
As more fully discussed in “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, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement with First Line Enterprises, Inc., an affiliate of our sponsor, pursuant to which we will pay a total of $12,500 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the completion of our initial business combination takes the maximum 18 months, our sponsor will be paid a total of $225,000 ($12,500 per month) and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any entities with which they are affiliated, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or any entities with which they are
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affiliated 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.
As of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of July 9, 2021, we had no borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of 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 sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Any such loans would be made on a non-interest bearing basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units sold in the private placement. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our 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 general 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 have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, placement units, placement shares, placement warrants and securities issued upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders — 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 completion 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 completion 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 completion 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 completion 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.
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To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to complete an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments will be made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any entities with which they are affiliated, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our 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 of up to an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
• Payment to our sponsor or its affiliate of $12,500 per month, for up to 18 months, for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services;
• Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination;
• Repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination; and
• Repayment of the sponsor loan to the sponsor upon the completion of the business combination, or the conversion of such loan into sponsor loan units, at the discretion of our sponsor.
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any entities with which they are affiliated.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number WC-375178) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will be adopted upon the completion of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value and 5,000,000 undesignated preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes the material terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one 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. Warrants must be exercised for one whole Class A ordinary share. The Class A ordinary shares and public warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the fifty-second (52nd) day following the closing of this offering or, if such fifty-second (52nd) day is not a “business date” (defined below), then on the immediately succeeding business day following such date, or earlier with the consent of Cantor and Mizuho, acting as representatives of the several underwriters, but in no event will the Class A ordinary shares and the public warrants comprising the units be separately traded until (A) we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by us of the gross proceeds of this offering, including the proceeds then received by us from the exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is completed on the initial closing of this offering, and (B) we issue a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option occurs following the initial closing of this offering, we shall file a second Current Report on Form 8-K to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. As used in this paragraph, “business day” shall mean a day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business.” Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants 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 and warrants.
Placement Units
The placement units (including the placement shares, the placement warrants and Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor). Holders of our placement units are entitled to certain registration rights. If we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the placement units (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless. Further, if we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution or such higher percentage as may be required by Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are present in person or by proxy. In such case, our initial holders, sponsor and each member of our management team and advisors have agreed to vote their founder shares, placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. Otherwise, the placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering.
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In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units sold in the private placement.
Ordinary Shares
Upon the closing of this offering and the private placement 31,950,000 ordinary shares will be issued and outstanding (and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 937,500 founder shares by our sponsor), including:
• 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering;
• 700,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the placement units being sold in the private placement; and
• 6,250,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial holders.
If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units).
Except as described below, Class A ordinary shareholders and Class B ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders and vote together as a single class, except as required by law. Unless specified in the Companies Act, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or applicable stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. 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 founder 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. Prior to our initial business combination, only the holders of our founder shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment of our directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of our founder shares may by ordinary resolution remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. In addition, in a vote to transfer our company by way of continuation out of the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction) (which requires a special resolution) prior to our initial business combination, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended (i) prior to the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of the votes cast by the holders of issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote, or (ii) in connection with and immediately prior to the completion of an initial business combination or following the completion of an initial business combination, by a special resolution passed by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting and entitled to vote.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 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 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 initial business combination.
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In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general 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. We may not hold an annual general meeting prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
We will provide our Class A 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 completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) 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 $10.20 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the representatives of the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our initial holders, sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial 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 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, a 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 we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution or such higher percentage as may be required by Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one-third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are present in person or by proxy. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial 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 initial business combination.
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 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 initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial 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 shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
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If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial holders, sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and 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 liquidation 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial holders, sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial holders, sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares 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 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 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, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the 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) prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of our founder shares may by ordinary resolution remove a member of the board of directors for any reason, (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, and (iii) our initial holders, sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (B) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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; (iv) the founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; and (v) in a vote to transfer the Company by way of continuation out of the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction) prior to an initial business combination, which requires the approval of special resolution, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any
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founder shares and placement 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 our initial holder’s founder shares, we would need only 8,875,001, or 35.5%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the sponsor loan is converted in full), or no public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming only a quorum is present at the meeting held to vote on our initial business combination), in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised).
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of the business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the sum of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination, and any private placement-equivalent shares and warrants underlying units issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us (including the sponsor loans)). The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earliest of (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (b) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there shall be entered therein:
• the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of the shares of each member;
• whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue;
• 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 shall 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 shall 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 shall be deemed to have legal
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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 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 preference 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 preference 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 preference 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.
Redeemable Warrants
Public Shareholders’ 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 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. 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. 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 shares 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 20 days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our reasonable best 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 reasonable best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 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
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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 best 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 quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that the notice of redemption is sent to the warrant holders.
Redemption of warrants. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may call the warrants for redemption:
• in whole and not in part;
• at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
• upon not less than 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 $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending three business 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.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” 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 quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” by (y) the fair market value. 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
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the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) 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 best efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.
Ownership Limitation.
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 share capitalization or share dividend payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a split-up of 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 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) multiplied by (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering divided by (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 the Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are 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 (being 5% of the offering price of the units in this offering), (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 amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination and any subsequent distribution of its assets upon its liquidation, 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 (as determined by the board of directors, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
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If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, 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 addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares or placement units held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we complete our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “— Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
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 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. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A ordinary shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants.
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The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 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, provided that the approval by the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. 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.
Warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. 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. See “Risk Factors — 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.” 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.
Placement Warrants
Except as described below, the placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering. The placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except pursuant to limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the initial purchasers of the placement units). The placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.
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 condition 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. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share capitalizations in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering, in which case we will effect a share capitalization with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon
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the completion of this offering (not including shares underlying the placement units). 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 and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees 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 United States 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 a special resolution of the shareholders of each company; and (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 holds issued shares that together represent 90% of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company, if a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of such subsidiary company to be merged unless that member agrees otherwise. 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 where the surviving or consolidated company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is required to be satisfied in respect of any constituent overseas company: (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; (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; (v) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidation is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (vi) 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; (vii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or
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consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (viii) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation. The requirements set out in sections (i) to (vii) above shall be met by a director of the Cayman Islands exempted company making a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that such requirements have been met, such declaration to include a statement of the assets and liabilities of the foreign company made up to the latest practicable date before making the declaration.
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 or her 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 or her 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 or her 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 their intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of their 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 their 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 be 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 also 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 procedure of which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to complete 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 an annual general meeting, or extraordinary general 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:
• the company is not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to dual 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.”
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If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates is made within four months, the offeror 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 other means to these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Walkers (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal 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 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 Walkers (Cayman) 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
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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 certain exemptions and privileges including those listed below:
• an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;
• an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection and can be kept outside of the Cayman Islands;
• an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
• an exempted company may issue shares with no par value;
• an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 30 years in the first instance);
• an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
• an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and
• 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 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 a special resolution under Cayman Islands law. Other than described herein, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that special resolutions must be approved either by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds of our shareholders majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the Company and entitled to vote on such matter (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Our sponsor, who will beneficially own approximately 22.7% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering and the private placement, 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 it chooses. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that:
• if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and 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 liquidation 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, liquidate and dissolve;
• prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination;
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• although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, 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 or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire 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 of 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 of the Exchange Act;
• so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq, 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 the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) 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 that would (i) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 18 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares;
• we will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations;
• our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us concerning the company’s internal affairs and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
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In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 either prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission.
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. 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, Counter-Terrorist Financing, Prevention of Proliferation Financing and Financial Sanctions Compliance — Cayman Islands
If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct, is involved with terrorism or terrorist property or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction 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 amended) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct, money laundering or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction; or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (as amended) 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. We reserve the right to refuse to make any payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing and financial sanctions or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.
Cayman Islands Data Protection
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act, 2017 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
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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 Your 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, counter terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing, financial sanctions 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 US, 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.
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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 staggered 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 general meetings. Prior to our initial business combination, only the holders of our class B shares will be entitled to vote on the election and removal of our directors.
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 preference 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.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering and the private placement we will have 31,950,000 (or 36,637,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 28,750,000 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 outstanding founder shares (6,250,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 7,187,500 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and all of the 700,000 placement units, and the securities underlying the foregoing, will be restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or warrants 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 or warrants 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 Class A ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 250,000 shares immediately after this offering and the private placement (or 287,500 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), on an as converted basis; or
• the average weekly reported trading volume of the ordinary shares 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.
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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 material 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 sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares, placement shares and placement warrants pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, placement units (including securities contained therein) and units (including securities contained therein) that may be issued upon conversion of loans made by our sponsor or one of its affiliates, and their permitted transferees, will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A ordinary shares) pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include such securities in other registration statements filed by us and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We have applied to list our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants on the Nasdaq under the symbols “ENTFU,” “ENTF” and “ENTFW” on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the ordinary shares and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on the Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq.
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INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to an investment in our units, ordinary shares and warrants 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 consequences relating to an investment in our ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their professional advisors on the possible tax consequences of buying, holding or selling any securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Taxation
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. 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 stampable 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 applied for and received an undertaking from the Government of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
The Tax Concessions Act
As amended
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (as amended), the Financial Secretary undertakes with Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp. (“the Company”).
1 That no law which is hereafter 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 amended).
3 These concessions shall be for a period of thirty years from the date hereof.
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Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant), Class A ordinary shares and warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities, by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). Because the components of a unit are 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 beneficial owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering and assumes any distributions on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received by a beneficial owner upon the sale or other disposition of our securities will be paid in U.S. dollars.
This discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).
This discussion does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and the different consequences that may apply if you are subject to special rules that apply to certain types of investors, such as:
• our sponsor, officers or directors;
• banks;
• financial institutions or financial services entities;
• insurance companies;
• broker dealers;
• taxpayers subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities;
• S-corporations;
• governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
• regulated investment companies;
• real estate investment trusts;
• persons holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction;
• U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
• partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
• U.S. Holders owning or considered as owning 5 percent or more of the ordinary shares;
• tax-exempt entities;
• expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States; and
• 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.
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If you are a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners will generally depend on the status of the partners and your activities.
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.
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 share of our Class A ordinary shares and one-half of one warrant to acquire one of our Class A ordinary shares. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each beneficial owner of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such beneficial owner for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one warrant 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 and the one-half of one warrant should be the shareholder’s initial tax basis in such share or one-half of one warrant, 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 and the one-half of one warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition (as determined by each such unit holder based on all relevant facts and circumstances). Neither the separation of the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one warrant comprising a unit nor the combination of halves of warrants should be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the 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 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
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. Holder.” A U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
• an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
• a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; or
• an estate or trust the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source.
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will be required to include in gross income any distribution paid on our ordinary shares that is treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A distribution on such shares generally will be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes 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.
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Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, 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.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, under tax laws currently in effect and subject to certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), 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 and Warrants” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, the Company is not treated as a PFIC at the time the dividend was paid or in the preceding year, and provided certain holding period requirements are met. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A ordinary shares described in this prospectus may prevent a non-corporate U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a non-corporate U.S. Holder will be subject to tax on such dividend income at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the 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 Shares and Warrants
Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A ordinary shares or warrants as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within the required time period, and subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss.
Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A ordinary shares described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. Holder on a sale or other taxable disposition is an amount 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 or warrants 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 or warrants based upon the then fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a Class A ordinary share or the one-half of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. Holder’s initial basis for Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a Class A ordinary share, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.
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, including 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 (in either case referred to herein as a “redemption”), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a 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 “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” 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 “U.S. Holders — 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 a result of owning warrants or otherwise) relative to all of our
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shares outstanding both before and after the 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 corporate distribution) if the 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 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% 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. The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. Holder’s conversion 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 will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— U.S. Holders — 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. If there are no remaining shares, a U.S. Holder is urged to consult with its own tax advisors with respect to the allocation of any remaining tax basis.
U.S. Holders who actually or constructively own five percent (or, if our Class A ordinary shares are not then publicly traded, one percent) or more of our shares (by vote or value) may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of Class A ordinary shares, and such holders should consult with their own tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption 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 tax basis in a Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (which will equal the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units 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 warrant. The U.S. Holder’s holding period for a Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant will begin on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrants and will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrants. 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 law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may not be taxable, 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 situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the
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warrant. If the cashless exercise was not a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of such warrant will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant, or if it would include the holding period of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares will generally include the holding period of the warrant. It is also possible that a cashless exercise may be treated as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized because a U.S. Holder may be deemed to have surrendered a portion of its warrants in a taxable transaction to pay the exercise price for the balance of its warrants that are treated as exercised for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In such event, subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise price for the total number of warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants treated as exercised plus 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 of exercise of the warrants or the day following the date of exercise of the warrants.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, 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.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Public Shareholders’ 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 and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of 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 — Redeemable Warrants — Public Shareholders’ 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 the warrant 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. For certain information reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions. Recently proposed Treasury regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign corporation will be a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if 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. Alternatively, a foreign corporation will be a PFIC if at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year of the foreign corporation, 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 periods prior to the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination. Pursuant to a start-up exception, however, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the
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corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021 and, possibly not until after the close of our taxable year ending December 31, 2023. 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 since our inception. 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 ending December 31, 2021 or any future taxable year.
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 or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a timely qualified electing fund (“QEF”) 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 or a valid “mark-to-market” election, in each case as described below, such 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 or warrants; 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 or warrants;
• the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder recognized 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;
• 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
• the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. Holder in respect of 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 will avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our Class A ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making either (i) a timely 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 or (ii) a valid “mark-to-market” election. A U.S. Holder 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), any gain recognized generally will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above, if we were a PFIC at any time during the period the U.S. Holder held the warrants. 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, but 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 under the PFIC rules. One type of purging election creates a
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deemed sale of such shares at their fair market value. The gain recognized by such purging election will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of such purging election, the U.S. Holder will generally 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. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances (including the availability of a separate purging election available if we are a controlled foreign corporation). Because the Treasury has yet to issue final regulations addressing the treatment of options to acquire interests in a PFIC, the consequences described in this paragraph are subject to uncertainty, and therefore U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the consequences of ownership of the warrants in the event we are determined to be a PFIC.
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 own 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, 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 can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. In addition, there is 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 special tax and interest charge rules 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 interest charge will be imposed. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, U.S. Holders of a QEF are currently taxed on their pro rata shares of its earnings and profits, whether or not distributed. In such case, a subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable as a dividend to such U.S. Holders. 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. Similar basis adjustments apply to property if by reason of holding such property the U.S. Holder is treated under the applicable attribution rules as owning shares in a QEF.
Although a determination as to our PFIC status will be made 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 or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. A U.S. Holder who makes the QEF election discussed above for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, however, will not be subject to the PFIC tax and interest charge rules discussed above in respect to such shares. In addition, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to such shares for any taxable year of us that ends within or with a taxable year of the U.S. Holder and in which we are not a PFIC. On the other hand, if the QEF election is not effective for each of our taxable years in which we are a PFIC and the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, the PFIC rules discussed above will continue to apply to such shares unless the holder makes a purging election, as described above, and pays the tax and interest charge with respect to the gain inherent in such shares attributable to the pre-QEF election period.
Alternatively, if a U.S. Holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. Holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. Holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect to its Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. Holder will include as ordinary income each year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over the adjusted basis in its
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Class A ordinary shares. The U.S. Holder also will be allowed to take an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the 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 the 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 stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Nasdaq (on which we intend to list the 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. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in 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. However, there is 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 the required information. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own 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 on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes 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 and warrants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares and warrants under their particular circumstances.
Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return of 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 on 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 to the extent provided in future Treasury regulations, 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, 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. Potential investors are urged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset reporting obligations and their application to an investment in Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. Holder.” A Non-U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants who or that is neither a U.S. Holder nor a partnership (or entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes), but generally does not include an individual who is present in
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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 any income derived from, or gain attributable to the 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 or warrants 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 income tax treaty rate.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our securities may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A Non-U.S. Holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.
The U.S. federal income tax discussion set forth above is included for general information only and may not be applicable depending upon a holder’s particular situation. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences to them of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, including the tax consequences under state, local, estate, foreign and other tax laws and tax treaties and the possible effects of changes in U.S. or other tax laws.
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UNDERWRITING
Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters named below have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us on a firm commitment basis the following respective numbers of units from the 25,000,000 units offered by this prospectus at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.
Underwriter | | Number of Units |
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. | | |
Mizuho Securities USA LLC | | |
Total | | 25,000,000 |
Cantor and Mizuho shall serve as the representatives of the underwriters.
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.
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the 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 $__ per unit. If all of the units are not sold at the initial public offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. The underwriters have advised us that they do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
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 3,750,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. 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 its 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.
The underwriters may make a market in the units as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and the underwriters may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the units, that you will be able to sell any of the units held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.
We, our sponsor, our officers and directors, Alex Vieux and Steve Fletcher, each an advisor, have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of the representatives, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, Class A ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares; provided, however, that we may (i) issue and sell the placement units, (ii) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters’ over-allotment option (if any), (iii) register with the SEC, pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, the resale of the founder shares, the placement shares, the placement warrants, and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the placement warrants, and (iv) issue securities in connection with an initial business combination. The representatives may, in their sole discretion, release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Our initial holders, our sponsor, our management team and advisors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest of (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (b) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share
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exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in connection with an initial business combination, the initial holders may transfer, assign or sell their founder shares with our consent to any person or entity that agrees in writing to be bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in the prior sentence.
The underwriters have committed to purchase 100,000 placement units for an aggregate purchase price of $1,000,000, or $10.00 a unit in the private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. The placement units are identical to the units being sold in this offering. Additionally, for so long as the placement warrants are held by the underwriters or their designees or affiliates, they may not be exercised after five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The placement units and underlying shares of ordinary shares and warrants have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e) commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or the date of commencement of this offering. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities shall not be sold during this offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or the date of commencement of this offering. Additionally, the placement units (and the underlying securities) purchased by the underwriters may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for 180 days following the effective date of this prospectus except to any selected dealer participating in the offering and the bona fide officers or partners of the representative and any such participating selected dealer. The placement units (and the underlying securities) purchased by the underwriters 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 “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units”). See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
We have granted the underwriters certain registration rights with respect to the placement units they are purchasing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), the underwriters may not exercise their demand and “piggy back” registration rights after five (5) and seven (7) years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may not exercise their demand rights on more than one occasion.
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. The determination of the initial public offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the 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 prices at which the units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than their initial public offering prices or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
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We expect our units to be listed on Nasdaq, under the symbol “ENTFU,” commencing on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ENTF” and “ENTFW,” respectively.
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.
| | Paid by Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp. |
| | No Exercise(1) | | Full Exercise |
Per Unit(1) | | $ | 0.55 | | $ | 0.55 |
Total(1) | | $ | 13,750,000 | | $ | 15,812,500 |
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $600,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, $600,000 of which the representatives have agreed to reimburse us for at the closing of the offering. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for all expenses and fees related to the review by FINRA, including legal fees which will not exceed $15,000, and the expenses of investigations and background checks of our principals not to exceed $4,000 per principal or $25,000 in the aggregate, all of which expenses are included in the $600,000 estimate above.
Stabilization and Other Activities
The underwriters have advised us that they, pursuant to Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may engage in short sale transactions, 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 the units at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.
“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of our units in this offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional units or purchasing units in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the option to purchase additional shares.
“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional units. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. 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 this offering.
A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of units on behalf of the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the units. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of units on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A
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penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriters to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the units originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.
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 units. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, may end any of these activities at any time.
Other Activities and Relationships
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 introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriters 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 any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering, and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which any of them are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination.
The underwriters and their affiliates may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, for which it may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for any such transactions.
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include, among other things, securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, financing and brokerage activities. Such underwriters and their affiliates have in the past, in the ordinary course of business, provided certain of these services to affiliates of the sponsor, and have arrangements in place whereby they may currently or in the future provide such services to affiliates of the sponsor, for which they have received and may receive customary fees, interest, commissions and other compensation.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their 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. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
Cantor has informed us that it and/or its affiliates or accounts over which it and/or its affiliates have discretionary authority have expressed an interest in purchasing up to 7.14% of the units to be sold in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase and are simply expressions of intent, these entities may determine to purchase fewer or no units at all in the offering or may purchase more units than they indicate an interest in purchasing (although they do not intend to exceed 9.99% ownership in the aggregate). In addition, Cantor and Mizuho may determine to allocate fewer units to any of these entities than the entities indicate an interest in purchasing or to not sell any units to these entities. The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as they will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. If Cantor or any of its affiliates or accounts over which it and/or its affiliates have discretionary authority purchases any units in this offering or otherwise in the open market, it has no obligation to vote the underlying shares in favor of any business combination, nor does it have an obligation not to redeem any such shares or hold any such units or underlying shares beyond the completion of an initial business combination, if any. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. Cantor’s affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor.
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Selling Restrictions
Canada
This prospectus constitutes an “exempt offering document” as defined in and for the purposes of applicable Canadian securities laws. No prospectus has been filed with any securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada in connection with the offer and sale of the securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon this prospectus or on the merits of the securities and any representation to the contrary is an offence.
Canadian investors are advised that this prospectus has been prepared in reliance on section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33-105”). Pursuant to section 3A.3 of NI 33-105, this prospectus is exempt from the requirement that the issuer and the underwriter(s) provide investors with certain conflicts of interest disclosure pertaining to “connected issuer” and/or “related issuer” relationships that may exist between the issuer and the underwriter(s) as would otherwise be required pursuant to subsection 2.1(1) of NI 33-105.
Resale Restrictions
The offer and sale of the securities in Canada is being made on a private placement basis only and is exempt from the requirement that the issuer prepares and files a prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws. Any resale of the securities acquired by a Canadian investor in this offering must be made in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, pursuant to a statutory exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt from the prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority. These resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to resales of the securities outside of Canada.
Representations of Purchasers
Each Canadian investor who purchases the securities will be deemed to have represented to the issuer and the underwriter(s) that the investor (i) is purchasing the securities as principal, or is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and not with a view to resale or redistribution; (ii) is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (“NI 45-106”) or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario); and (iii) is a “permitted client” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Any discussion of taxation and related matters contained in this prospectus does not purport to be a comprehensive description of all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to a Canadian investor when deciding to purchase the securities and, in particular, does not address any Canadian tax considerations. No representation or warranty is hereby made as to the tax consequences to a resident, or deemed resident, of Canada of an investment in the securities or with respect to the eligibility of the securities for investment by such investor under relevant Canadian federal and provincial legislation and regulations.
Rights of Action for Damages or Rescission
Securities legislation in certain of the Canadian jurisdictions provides certain purchasers of securities pursuant to an offering memorandum (such as this prospectus), including where the distribution involves an “eligible foreign security” as such term is defined in Ontario Securities Commission Rule 45-501 Ontario Prospectus and Registration Exemptions and in Multilateral Instrument 45-107 Listing Representation and Statutory Rights of Action Disclosure Exemptions, as applicable, with a remedy for damages or rescission, or both, in addition to any other rights they may have at law, where the offering memorandum, or other offering document that constitutes an offering memorandum, and any amendment thereto, contains a “misrepresentation” as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. These remedies, or notice with respect to these remedies, must be exercised or delivered, as the case
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may be, by the purchaser within the time limits prescribed under, and are subject to limitations and defences under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. In addition, these remedies are in addition to and without derogation from any other right or remedy available at law to the investor.
Language of Documents
Upon receipt of this document, each Canadian investor hereby confirms that it has expressly requested that all documents evidencing or relating in any way to the sale of the securities described herein (including for greater certainty any purchase confirmation or any notice) be drawn up in the English language only. Par la réception de ce document, chaque investisseur Canadien confirme par les présentes qu’il a expressément exigé que tous les documents faisant foi ou se rapportant de quelque manière que ce soit à la vente des valeurs mobilières décrites aux présentes (incluant, pour plus de certitude, toute confirmation d’achat ou tout avis) soient rédigés en anglais seulement.
Australia
This document does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Corporations Act”) of Australia. This document has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this document in Australia:
You confirm and warrant that you are either:
• a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act;
• a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made; or
• a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act.
To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this document is void and incapable of acceptance.
You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the shares issued to you pursuant to this document for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.
European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area (each a “Member State”), no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the securities may be offered to the public in that Member State at any time:
(i) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation;
(ii) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(iii) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of securities shall require the issuer 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.
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Each person in a Member State who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer 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 circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a Member State to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase, or subscribe for, any securities and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
In Member States, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation (“Qualified Investors”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in any Member State by persons who are not Qualified Investors. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in any Member State only to Qualified Investors and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Hong Kong
No securities have been, may be or will be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the “SFO”) and any rules made thereunder; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding UP and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the “C(WUMP)O”), or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the C(WUMP)O. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or will be issued or may be in the 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 of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.
This document has not been and will not be registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this document may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this document and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.
Japan
The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended) (the “FIEA”), and the Initial Purchaser will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means, unless otherwise provided herein, any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other
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entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEA and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.
Singapore
This document has not been and will not be lodged or registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this document and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or the invitation for subscription or purchase of the securities may not be issued, circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to any person 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 as defined under Section 275(2) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA and where (where applicable) Regulation 3 of the Securities and Futures (Classes of Investors) Regulations 2018 , or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of any other applicable provision of the SFA. In the event that you are not an investor falling within any of the categories set out above, please return this document immediately. You may not forward or circulate this document to any other person in Singapore.
No offer is made to you with a view to the securities being subsequently offered for sale to any other party. There are on-sale restrictions that may be applicable to investors who acquire securities. As such, investors are advised to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the SFA relating to resale restrictions and comply accordingly.
Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
• a corporation (which is not an accredited investor as defined under Section 4A of the SFA) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or
• a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor,
securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities under Section 275 of the SFA except:
• to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;
• where no consideration is given for the transfer;
• where the transfer is by operation of law;
• as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or
• as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore.
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
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Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the issuer or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, or FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In the State of Israel, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the shares is directed only at, 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 will be 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.
United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom, no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, except that the securities 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 underwriters for any such offer; or
(iii) in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the “FSMA”),
provided that no such offer of the securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in the United Kingdom who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer 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 circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in the United Kingdom to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms
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of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation who are also: (i) persons who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”); (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2) of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in the United Kingdom only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in connection with the issue or sale of the securities in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply. All applicable provisions of the FSMA and the Order must be complied with in respect of anything done by any person in relation to the securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, 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 with respect to units and warrants. Walkers (Cayman) 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. In connection with this offering, Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.
EXPERTS
The financial statements Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp. as of July 9, 2021, and for the period from May 3, 2021 (inception) through July 9, 2021, appearing in this prospectus have been audited by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given on the authority of such firm 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.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholder and the Board of Directors of
Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of July 9, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from May 3, 2021 (inception) through July 9, 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 July 9, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from May 3, 2021 (inception) through July 9, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
New York, New York
September 24, 2021
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEET
JULY 9, 2021
ASSETS | | | | |
Current assets – cash | | $ | 19,591 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | | | 835 | |
Total Current Assets | | | 20,426 | |
| | | | |
Deferred offering costs | | | 47,749 | |
TOTAL ASSETS | | $ | 68,175 | |
| | | | |
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY | | | | |
Current Liabilities | | | | |
Accrued expenses | | $ | 198 | |
Accrued offering costs | | | 47,749 | |
Total Current Liabilities | | | 47,947 | |
| | | | |
Commitments and Contingencies | | | | |
| | | | |
Shareholder’s Equity | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | | | — | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | | | — | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 7,187,500 shares issued and outstanding(1) | | | 719 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 24,281 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (4,772 | ) |
Total Shareholder’s Equity | | | 20,228 | |
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY | | $ | 68,175 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 3, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JULY 9, 2021
Formation and operating costs | | $ | 4,772 | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,772 | ) |
| | | | |
Weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1) | | | 6,250,000 | |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary share | | $ | (0.00 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 3, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JULY 9, 2021
| | Class B Ordinary Shares | | Additional Paid-in Capital | | Accumulated Deficit | | Total Shareholder’s Equity |
| | Shares | | Amount | |
Balance – May 3, 2021 (inception) | | — | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1) | | 7,187,500 | | | 719 | | | 24,281 | | | — | | | | 25,000 | |
Net loss | | — | | | — | | | — | | | (4,772 | ) | | | (4,772 | ) |
Balance – July 9, 2021 | | 7,187,500 | | $ | 719 | | $ | 24,281 | | $ | (4,772 | ) | | $ | 20,228 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 3, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JULY 9, 2021
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,772 | ) |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | | | | |
Prepaid expenses | | | (835 | ) |
Accrued expenses | | | 198 | |
Net cash used in operating activities | | | (5,409 | ) |
| | | | |
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | | | | |
Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor | | | 25,000 | |
Net cash provided by financing activities | | | 25,000 | |
| | | | |
Net Change in Cash | | | 19,591 | |
Cash – Beginning of period | | | — | |
Cash – End of period | | $ | 19,591 | |
| | | | |
Non-cash investing and financing activities: | | | | |
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs | | $ | 47,749 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND PLAN OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on May 3, 2021. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”).
The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of completing a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of July 9, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from May 3, 2021 (inception) through July 9, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described 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 and the Sponsor Loan. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 25,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale 700,000 units (each, a “Placement Unit” and collectively, the “Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit in a private placement to ENT4.0 Technology Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) and the underwriters in the Proposed Public Offering that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering. In conjunction with the Proposed Public Offering, the Sponsor has agreed to lend the Company $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) (the “Sponsor Loan”), which is discussed in Note 5.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, the sale of the Placement Units and Sponsor Loan proceeds, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward completing a Business Combination. Nasdaq rules provide that the Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.20 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including proceeds of the sale of the Placement Units, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earliest of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s shareholders, as described below.
The Company will provide the holders of the public shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the Business Combination, either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of the Business Combination (Initially anticipated to be $10.20 per Public Share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to certain limitations as described in the prospectus. The per-share amount to be distributed to the
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND PLAN OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)
Public Shareholders who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 6). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s placement units. The Class A ordinary shares will be recorded at 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.”
The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, it receives an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law approving a Business Combination, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the Company. If a shareholder vote is not required and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares, without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against a Proposed Business Combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of the Business Combination and the Company does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares without the Company’s prior written consent.
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the 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 Company’s Proposed Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-Proposed business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public 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 Trust Account and not previously released to pay taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares.
The Company will have until 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if the Company has not completed a 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 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 and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay winding up and dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish the rights of the Public Shareholders as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining Public Shareholders and its board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND PLAN OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)
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 a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Sponsor has agreed to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares it will receive if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor or any of its respective affiliates acquire Public Shares, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, and in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or 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 the lesser of (1) $10.20 per Public Share and (2) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.20 per Public Share, due to reductions in the value of trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and 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 of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
The Company does not have sufficient liquidity to meet its anticipated obligations over the next year from the date of issuance of these financial statements. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined that the Company has access to funds from the Sponsor that are sufficient to fund the working capital needs of the Company until the earlier of the completion of the Proposed Public Offering and one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of 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 of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
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 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 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.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A — “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the Public Offering. Offering costs are charged to temporary equity or to the proceeds received from the Units sold upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering (IPO). Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred offering costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to the statement of operations.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of July 9, 2021, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. 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’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change for the next twelve months.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
The Company is considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
Net Loss Per Class B Ordinary Share
Net loss per Class B ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average Class B ordinary shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 937,500 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised (see Note 5). At July 9, 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 ordinary share is the same as basic loss per Class B ordinary share for the period presented.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.
Fair Value Measurement
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active Markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
• Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
• Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
• Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Management is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2020-06.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet 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 will offer for sale up to 25,000,000 Units (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 7).
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
The Sponsor and the underwriters have committed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 Private Placement Units (of which an aggregate of 600,000 Placement Units will be purchased by the Sponsor and 100,000 Placement Units will be purchased by the underwriters) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Placement Unit will consist of one share of Class A ordinary share (“Placement Share”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Placement Warrant”). Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Units will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Units, Placement Shares, and Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On July 9, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 7,187,500 of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate price of $25,000. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, so that the number of Founder Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (cont.)
The Sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earliest of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, rights issuances, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Sponsor Loan
The sponsor has agreed to lend the Company $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) (the “Sponsor Loan”) as of the closing date of the Proposed Public Offering. The Sponsor Loan will bear no interest. The proceeds of the Sponsor Loan will be deposited into the trust account and be used to fund the redemption of the public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law). The Sponsor Loan shall be repaid or converted into units (“Sponsor Loan Units”) at a conversion price of $10.00 per unit, at the discretion of the Sponsor, at any time up until the consummation of an initial business combination. The Sponsor Loan Units would be identical to the placement units sold in the Proposed Public Offering. The Sponsor Loan is being extended in order to ensure that the amount in the trust account is $10.20 per public share. If the Company does not consummate an initial business combination and the Sponsor Loan has not been converted into Sponsor Loan Units by such time, the Company will not repay the sponsor loan and its proceeds will be distributed to the public shareholders. The Sponsor has waived any claims against the trust account in connection with the Sponsor Loan. As of July 9, 2021 there are no amounts outstanding under the Sponsor Loan.
Administrative Support Agreement
The Company intends to enter into an agreement, commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering through the earlier of the Company’s completion of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay an affiliate of our Sponsor a total of $12,500 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial, and administrative support services.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On July 9, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note (the “Promissory Note”) to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 and (ii) the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. As of July 9, 2021, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Promissory Note.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon completion of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon completion of the Proposed business combination. As of July 9, 2021, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the COVID-19 global pandemic 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, close of the Proposed Public Offering 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, placement units (including securities contained therein) and units (including securities contained therein) that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares and warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares) that may be issued upon conversion of the units issued as part of the working capital loans and Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder 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 shares). The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our Proposed business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. Notwithstanding the foregoing, The underwriters may not exercise their demand and “piggy back” registration rights after five (5) and seven (7) years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may not exercise demand rights on more than one occasion. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate, payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of (i) $0.35 per Unit of the gross proceeds of the Proposed 25,000,000 Units sold in the Proposed Public Offering, or $8,750,000, and (ii) $0.55 per Unit of the gross proceeds from the Units sold pursuant to the over-allotment option, or $2,062,500. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At July 9, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At July 9, 2021, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY (cont.)
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At July 9, 2021, there were 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 937,500 shares are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, so that the number of Class B ordinary shares will equal 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Intial Public Offering and excluding the Representative Shares).
Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, except as required by law.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of a Business Combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof 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 (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering, plus (ii) 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 completion of a Business Combination (including the forward purchase shares, but not the forward purchase warrants), excluding any forward purchases securities and Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any Placement Units issued to the Sponsor, its affiliates or any member of the Company’s management team upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
Warrants — As of July 9, 2021 there are no warrants issued and outstanding. Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. The warrants will become exercisable at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination. The warrants will expire five years from the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company 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 the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable, and the Company 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 the Company 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.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of an Initial Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 days after the closing of Initial Business Combination and to maintain 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 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
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY (cont.)
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 the Company elects, 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 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 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 the Company will use its best 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 quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in the paragraph shall mean the volume weighted average price of the of the Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) day period ending on the trading date prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
Redemption of warrants. Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company 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 $18.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
The Company 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, 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, it may exercise its redemption right even if it was unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the warrants for redemption as described above, its management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis”. 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 quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value (defined above) by (y) the fair market value. The Company has 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 forgoing conditions are satisfied and it issues 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 $18.00 redemption trigger price (as discussed for the share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations, and the like) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
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ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY (cont.)
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities, for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of its Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants, Working Capital Warrants, and Warrants underlying the Sponsor Loan Units (“Sponsor Loan Warrants”) shall be identical to the Public Warrants, except that, the Private Placement Warrants, the Working Capital Warrants, and the Sponsor Loan Warrants may not be transferred, assigned or sold until thirty (30) days after the completion by the Company of an initial Business Combination; provided, however, that the Private Placement Warrants, the Working Capital Warrants, and Sponsor Loan Warrants and any Ordinary Shares held by either the Sponsor or any officers or directors of the Company or any Permitted Transferees, as applicable.
NOTE 8 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to September 23, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
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$250,000,000
Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp.
25,000,000 Units
________________________________
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2021
________________________________
Joint Book-Running Managers
Until , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our Class A 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
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 discount and commissions) will be as follows:
SEC/FINRA Expenses | | | 117,824 |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | 37,500 |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | 40,000 |
Travel and road show expenses | | | 5,000 |
Legal fees and expenses | | | 250,000 |
Nasdaq listing and filing fees (including deferred amount) | | | 75,000 |
Miscellaneous | | | 74,676 |
Total | | $ | 600,000 |
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, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 or willful default. We may 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.
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.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On July 9, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration for 7,187,500 founder shares. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
In addition, our sponsor and the underwriters have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (600,000 placement units by our sponsor and 100,000 placement units by the underwriters), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000. This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
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.
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Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter 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.
(3) For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
(4) For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant;
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(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this amended Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 12th day of October 2021.
| | ENTERPRISE 4.0 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. |
| | By: | | /s/ Eric Benhamou |
| | | | Eric Benhamou |
| | | | Chief Executive Officer |
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned constitutes and appoints Eric Benhamou, acting alone, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this Registration Statement on Form S-1 (including all pre-effective and post-effective amendments and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933), 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, acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that such attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
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/ Eric Benhamou | | Chief Executive Officer | | October 12, 2021 |
Eric Benhamou | | (principal executive officer) | | |
/s/ Christopher Paisley | | Chief Financial Officer | | October 12, 2021 |
Christopher Paisley | | (principal financial and accounting officer) | | |
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AUTHORIZED U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of Enterprise 4.0 Technology Acquisition Corp. has signed this registration statement in the City of New York, New York, on October 12, 2021.
| | Authorized U.S. Representative |
| | By: | | /s/ Eric Benhamou |
| | | | Name: Eric Benhamou |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. | | Description |
1.1 | | Form of Underwriting Agreement.** |
3.1 | | Memorandum and Articles of Association.* |
3.2 | | Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.** |
4.1 | | Specimen Unit Certificate.** |
4.2 | | Specimen Class A Ordinary Share Certificate.** |
4.3 | | Specimen Warrant Certificate.** |
4.4 | | Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.** |
5.1 | | Opinion of Walkers (Cayman) LLP, Cayman Islands legal counsel to the Registrant.** |
5.2 | | Opinion of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, counsel to the Registrant.** |
10.1 | | Promissory Note, dated as of July 9, 2021 issued to ENT4.0 Technology Sponsor LLC* |
10.2 | | Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant and the Registrant’s securityholders named therein, and the officers and directors of the Registrant.** |
10.3 | | Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.** |
10.4 | | Form of Registration Rights Agreement between the Registrant and certain security holders.** |
10.5 | | Securities Subscription Agreement, dated July 9, 2021, between the Registrant and ENT4.0 Technology Sponsor LLC.* |
10.6 | | Form of Placement Unit Subscription Agreement between the Registrant and ENT4.0 Technology Sponsor LLC.** |
10.7 | | Form of Placement Unit Subscription Agreement between the Registrant and the Underwriters.** |
10.8 | | Form of Indemnity Agreement.** |
10.9 | | Form of Administrative Services Agreement, by and between the Registrant and First In Line Enterprises, Inc.** |
10.10 | | Form of Sponsor Loan Note to be issued at closing of the initial public offering** |
14 | | Form of Code of Ethics.** |
23.1 | | Consent of WithumSmith+Brown, PC.* |
23.2 | | Consent of Walkers (included on Exhibit 5.1).** |
23.3 | | Consent of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP (included on Exhibit 5.2).** |
24 | | Power of Attorney (included on signature page of this Registration Statement).* |
99.1 | | Form of Audit Committee Charter.** |
99.2 | | Form of Compensation Committee Charter.** |
99.3 | | Consent of Kim Le* |
99.4 | | Consent of Christopher Paisley* |
99.5 | | Consent of Sudhakar Ramakrishna* |
99.6 | | Consent of Mona Sabet* |
99.7 | | Consent of Judith Sim* |
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