As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2024.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
___________________
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
___________________
EUREKA 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) |
899 Ruining Road, Yangguang Binjiang Center
South Building, Unit 808
Shanghai 200030, PRC
Telephone: +86 135 0189 0555
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive office)
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Cogency Global Inc.
122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor
New York, New York 10168
United States
(800) 221-0102
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
___________________
Copies to: |
Jia Yan, Esq. Paul Hastings LLP 43/F Jing An Kerry Center Tower II, 1359 Nanjing West Road Shanghai 200040, PRC Tel.: 86-21-6103 2900 Facsimile: 86-21-6170 6269 | | Barry Grossman, Esq. Lijia Sanchez, Esq. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10105 (212) 370-1300 |
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Approximate date of commencement of the 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, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:
Large accelerated filer | | ☐ | | Accelerated filer | | ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer | | ☒ | | Smaller reporting company | | ☒ |
Emerging growth company | | ☒ | | | | |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
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 March 8, 2024 |
$50,000,000
EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
5,000,000 Units
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Eureka Acquisition Corp is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to focus our search initially on target businesses operating in Asia, and we may consummate a business combination with an entity located in the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau) (the “PRC” or “China”).
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one right, as described in more detail in this prospectus. Each right entitles the holder thereof to receive one-fifth of (1/5) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination, so you must hold rights in multiples of five (5) in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 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 consummation 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time, as described in more detail in this prospectus), 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 $50,000 of interest to pay 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, Hercules Capital Management Corp, has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 units (or 251,250 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) (“private placement units”) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,400,000 (or $2,512,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each private placement unit will be identical to the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. The private placement units will be sold in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering, including the over-allotment option, as applicable. We refer to these units throughout this prospectus as private placement units.
Prior to this offering, our sponsor held 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares or founder shares (up to 187,500 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, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. The holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and the holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time.
There is presently no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or rights. We plan to apply to have our units listed on the [Nasdaq [Capital] Market or (“Nasdaq”)], under the symbol “[•]” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Our Class A ordinary shares and rights comprising the public units will begin separate trading on the 52nd business day following the date of this prospectus unless Maxim Group LLC, or Maxim, the representative of the underwriters, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet
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reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the Class A ordinary shares and rights will be traded on [Nasdaq] under the symbols “[•]” and “[•],” 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. We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company. Our units offered in this prospectus include shares of a Cayman Islands blank check company instead of the shares of the operating entities with whom we may combine. As a blank check company with no material operations of our own, we seek to complete a business combination with one or more businesses or entities and will initially focus in Asia. We may consummate a business combination with an entity located in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).
Certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States on our company, executive officers and directors, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our company, executive officers and directors.]
Our Sponsor, Hercules Capital Management Corp, is incorporated in British Virgin Islands. Our initial shareholders, including our sponsor, will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares following this offering, assuming they do not purchase units in this offering and excluding Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement units and representative shares. As a result, we may be considered a “foreign person” under rules promulgated by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) and may not be able to complete an initial business combination with a U.S. target company since such initial business combination may be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by a U.S. government entity such as CFIUS, or ultimately prohibited. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited. See “Risk Factors — Our ability to complete a business combination may be impacted by the fact that certain of our officers and directors are located in, or have significant ties to, China. This may make us a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC, thereby limiting our pool of acquisition candidates and making it harder for us to complete an initial business combination with a non-China-based target company.” on page 39 of this prospectus.
If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. Further, due to the fact that certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China-or non-Hong Kong-based target companies, and such perception may potentially limit or negatively impact our search for an initial business combination or may therefore make it more likely for us to consummate a business combination with a company based in or having the majority of its operations in the PRC and/or Hong Kong. Therefore, this may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination with a target company within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time, as described in more detail in this prospectus).
If we consummate an initial business combination with a company conducting its business in the PRC, we may operate in the PRC primarily through our PRC subsidiaries. We may also adopt a series of contractual arrangements with variable interest entities in the PRC (the “VIEs”), in which case (i) the VIEs will be PRC-based operations companies and our PRC subsidiaries will be shell companies and (ii) investors in our securities will not and may never directly own equity interest in the VIEs but will instead hold equity interest in a holding company of our PRC subsidiaries. For a detailed description of the risks associated with this
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potential corporate structure, please refer to risks disclosed under “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Acquiring and Operating Business in China.” Under the VIE arrangement, the dividends or other distributions to be paid by our PRC subsidiaries to their overseas holding company will depend on such PRC subsidiaries’ entitlement to substantially all of the economic benefits of the VIEs, which are typically in the form of services fees or license fees payable by the VIEs to our PRC subsidiaries under various VIE agreements. Such contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIEs and we may be adversely affected if we experience difficulties in settling the amounts owed to our PRC subsidiaries by the VIEs. See “Summary — Our Company — Potential Legal and Operational Risks Associated with Acquiring a Company that does Business in China.” Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using a VIE structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. However, since these statements and regulatory actions are new or have not been officially implemented, it is uncertain how soon Chinese legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our capability to acquire or merge with a company with major operations in China, and post-combination entity’s ability to conduct its business, accept foreign investments or list on an U.S. exchange or other foreign exchange. Accordingly, modified or new laws and regulations could result in a material change in the target company’s post-combination operations, significant depreciation of the value of our Class A ordinary shares, or a complete limitation of our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities to investors.
On February 17, 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the “Trial Administrative Measures”), which took effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Administrative Measures further clarified and emphasized several aspects, including: (i) comprehensive determination of the “indirect overseas offering and listing by PRC domestic companies” in compliance with the principle of “substance over form” and particularly, an issuer will be required to go through the filing procedures under the Trial Administrative Measures if the following criteria are met at the same time: a) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year is accounted for by PRC domestic companies, and b) the main parts of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China, or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China; (ii) exemptions from immediate filing requirements for issuers that a) have already been listed or registered but not yet listed in foreign securities markets, including U.S. markets, prior to the effective date of the Trial Administrative Measures, and b) are not required to re-perform the regulatory procedures with the relevant overseas regulatory authority or the overseas stock exchange, c) whose such overseas securities offering or listing shall be completed before September 30, 2023, provided however that such issuers shall carry out filing procedures as required if they conduct refinancing or are involved in other circumstances that require filing with the CSRC; (iii) a negative list of types of issuers banned from listing overseas, such as issuers under investigation for bribery and corruption; (iv) regulation of issuers in specific industries; (v) issuers’ compliance with national security measures and the personal data protection laws; and (vi) certain other matters such as: an issuer must file with the CSRC within three business days after it submits an application for initial public offering to competent overseas regulators; and subsequent reports shall be filed with the CSRC on material events, including change of control or voluntary or forced delisting of the issuer(s) who have completed overseas offerings and listings.
Our company is a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We currently do not hold any equity interest in any PRC company or operate any business in China. Therefore, we believe we are not required to obtain permissions or approvals from any PRC government authorities, including the CSRC or the Cyberspace Administration of China, or any other government entity, to issue our securities to foreign investors and to list on a U.S. exchange or operate our business. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities. However, if we do not maintain applicable permissions or approvals, or if we inadvertently concluded that such permissions or approvals are not required, or applicable laws, regulations,
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or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, and we are denied permission and/or approvals, the relevant PRC government agencies could subject us to a stringent approval process from the relevant government entities in connection with this offering, continued listing on a U.S. exchange, the potential business combination, the issuance of shares or the maintenance of our status as a publicly listed company outside China, and the post business combination entity’s PRC operations if our business combination target is a PRC target company. We may also be subject to registration with the CSRC following this offering pursuant to the Trial Administrative Measures. It is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to continue to list on a U.S. exchange in the future and offer our securities to foreign investors. If we do not maintain applicable permissions or approvals, if we inadvertently concluded that such permissions or approvals are not required, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, including pursuant to the Trial Administrative Measures, and we are denied permission and/or approvals from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges or offer our securities to foreign investors, we may not be able to continue listing on a U.S. exchange or be subject to other severe consequences, which would materially affect the interest of the investors. In addition, any changes in PRC law, regulations, or interpretations may severely affect our operations after this offering. The use of the term “operate” and “operations” includes the process of searching for a target business and conducting related activities. To that extent, we may not be able to conduct the process of searching for a potential target company in China.
If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the target company and/or combined company will be required to go through the filing procedure to satisfy the filing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to complete such process and receive clearance from CSRC on time, if at all, which could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. See “Risk Factor — If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, we will be subject to the Trial Administrative Measures if the Company meets the following criteria: (i) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year is accounted for by PRC domestic companies; and (ii) the main parts of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China, or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China; and if required, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete such process and receive clearance from CSRC on time, if at all.”
The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. For example, if we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the lack of the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) inspection on its auditors or the auditors of the target business. In addition, the combined company may be subject to legal and operational risks associated with having substantially all of operations in China, including risks related to the legal, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United States, or Chinese or United States regulations, which risks could result in a material change in the combined company’s operations and the value of the securities of the combined company.
Furthermore, the PRC government may also intervene with or influence the combined company’s operations at any time as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC, result in material changes in the combined company’s post-combination operations and cause the value of the combined company’s securities
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to significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless, or significantly limit or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. For a detailed description of risks associated with being based in or acquiring a company that does business in China, see “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in China.”
In addition, we and our directors and officers who are based in or have significant ties to China may be subject to certain risks relating to regulatory oversight by the PRC government. In particular, changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be adopted quickly with little advance notice. The Chinese government may also intervene or influence our search for a target business or the completion of an initial business combination at any time through our directors and officers who are based in or have significant ties to China. This could significantly and negatively impact our search for a target business and the value of the securities we are offering for sale. See “Risk Factor — Since a majority of our directors and officers are based in or have significant ties to China, the Chinese government may have potential oversight and discretion over the conduct of our directors’ and officers’ search for a target company. The Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time through our directors and officers who are based in or have significant ties in China, which could result in a material change in our search for a target business and the value of the securities we are offering. Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be adopted quickly with little advance notice and could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate.”
On December 16, 2021, pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”), the PCAOB issued a Determination Report which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (i) China, and (ii) Hong Kong. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol with the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (“SOP”), taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary.
However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB will consider the need to issue a new determination. Our auditor, Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, headquartered in New York, NY, is an independent registered public accounting firm with the PCAOB and has been inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis. The PCAOB currently has access to inspect the working papers of our auditor. Our auditor is not headquartered in China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the determination report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination.
In the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in China, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCAA, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. This could limit or restrict our access to the U.S. capital markets and the trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited and our securities may be delisted by such exchange under the HFCAA. Additionally, in June 2021, the Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “AHFCAA”) which, if signed into law, would reduce the time period for the delisting of foreign companies under the HFCAA to two consecutive years instead of three years. On December 29, 2022, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which, among other things, amended the HFCAA to reduce the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer before the Commission must impose an initial trading prohibition on the issuer’s securities from three years to two years. If the combined company’s auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the trading of the securities on any U.S. national securities exchanges as well as any over-the-counter trading in the U.S. will be prohibited and our securities may be delisted by such exchange. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business with its Primary Operation in China — Trading in our securities may be prohibited
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under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor. In that case, [Nasdaq] would delist our securities. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections may deprive our investors with the benefits of such inspections”.
As an offshore holding company, if we acquire a target company that operates its business in China, we may use the proceeds of our offshore fund-raising activities to provide loans or make capital contributions to the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company, in each case subject to applicable regulatory requirements. The PRC subsidiaries may pay dividends to us out of their retained earnings. However, we will be subject to restrictions on dividend payments as current PRC regulations permit PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to their parent only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, companies in China are mostly required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Entities in China may also be required to further set aside a portion of their after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation. As a result, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries may not have sufficient distributable profits to pay dividends to the combined company. Furthermore, if certain procedural requirements are satisfied, the payment in foreign currencies on current account items, including profit distributions and trade and service related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”) or its local branches. However, where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses, such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies, approval from or registration with competent government authorities or its authorized banks is required. These restrictions will restrict our ability to distribute earnings from our businesses, including subsidiaries, to the parent company and U.S. investors as well as the ability to settle amounts owed under contractual agreements. Nonetheless, the funds held in our trust account are not held in China, they are held in U.S. dollars in the United States with [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] and therefore shareholder redemption rights would not be impacted.
We are a blank check company with no subsidiaries and no operations of our own except organizational activities, the preparation of this offering and, following the closing of this offering, searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not made any transfers, dividends or distributions to any person or entity. We do not intend to distribute earnings or settle amounts owed until after the closing of the business combination. We may retain all of our available funds and any future earnings following a business combination to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we may not pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 35 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Our units offered in this prospectus include shares of a Cayman Islands blank check company instead of the shares of the operating entities with whom we may combine.
| | Price to Public | | Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) | | Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
Per Unit | | $ | 10.00 | | $ | 0.15 | | $ | 9.85 |
Total | | $ | 50,000,000 | | $ | 750,000 | | $ | 49,250,000 |
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Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, $50,000,000, or $57,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per public unit, subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full six months, as described in more detail in this prospectus), will be deposited into a trust account with [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] acting as trustee. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about , 2024.
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 units may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
Sole Book-Running Manager
Maxim Group LLC
The date of this prospectus is , 2024
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PROSPECTUS 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:
• “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;
• “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;
• “founder shares” are to the 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement purchase prior to this offering;
• “initial shareholders” are to the holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;
• “letter agreement” refers to the letter agreement, 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;
• “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and our Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share;
• “private placement rights” are to the rights underlying the private placement units;
• “private placement shares” are to the ordinary shares underlying the private placement units;
• “private placement units” are to the units issued to our sponsor or its designees in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering;
• “public rights” are to the rights sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or acquired in the open market); and
• “public shares” are to our ordinary shares offered as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or acquired thereafter in the open market).
All references in this prospectus to shares of Eureka Acquisition Corp 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.
Introduction
We were incorporated on June 13, 2023 as an exempted company with limited liability. We chose to incorporate in the Cayman Islands due to (i) its tax-neutrality, which allows international transactions to be structured efficiently without an additional layer of tax and (ii) simplicity of establishment and flexibility of administration, including easy migration to another jurisdiction, the existence of statutory procedures for merger or consolidation, and no takeover code or bespoke public company filing requirements.
We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic location but will initially focus in Asia. We may consummate a business combination with an entity located in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). Further, due to the fact that certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may
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make us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China-or non-Hong Kong-based target companies, and such perception may potentially limit or negatively impact our search for an initial business combination or may therefore make it more likely for us to consummate a business combination with a company based in or having the majority of its operations in the PRC and/or Hong Kong.
Our management team has an extensive track record of creating value for shareholders by acquiring strong businesses at disciplined valuations, investing in growth while fostering financial discipline and ultimately improving financial results. Our team consists of experienced entrepreneurs, investment banking, financial services, capital market professionals, senior operating executives, and managers of international companies. We believe we will benefit from their accomplishments, and specifically their current activities in the Asian market, in identifying attractive acquisition opportunities.
Competitive Advantages
We seek to create compelling shareholder value through the extensive experience and demonstrated success of our management team (in particular, our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman) in investing in, operating and transforming businesses, with a particular combination of competitive advantages such as:
• Leadership of an Experienced Management Team and Board of Directors
Our management team is led by our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman of our Board of Directors, Dr. Fen Zhang, and our Independent Directors, Dr. M. Anthony Wong, Ms. Lauren Simmons and Mr. Kevin McKenzie.
Dr. Fen Zhang, Ph.D., our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman, has been at Hercules Capital Group as a founding partner since August 2021, being in charge of the large scale alternative financing solutions for major commercial endeavors. Dr. Zhang has over a decade of experiences in investment banking and fund management industries involved in initial public offering and other capital markets transactions in the U.S., Canada, mainland China and Hong Kong, with over 20 years accomplished industrial experiences and connections with the world’s top leading financial institutions, investment banks, funds and accredited investors. Dr. Zhang holds an MBA in finance and a Ph.D. degree in materials engineering from Queen’s University in Canada, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tsinghua University in China.
Dr. M. Anthony Wong, our director nominee, will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Dr. Wong is head of international equities division at Red Solar Capital Ltd. He started his career as a faculty member of the MIT Sloan School of Management, and was a founding member of the MIT Media Lab and MIT Statistics Center. In recent years, Dr. Wong has focused his professional efforts on assisting international high-tech commercial projects in their alignment with the capital markets of Hong Kong and the United States. Dr. Wong holds a Ph.D. degree in statistics & data science from Yale University.
Ms. Lauren Simmons, our director nominee, will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Ms. Simmons is an equity trader who started her career in finance in May of 2017 with Rosenblatt Securities on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stemming from her financial knowledge and ability to quickly build relationships in financial markets, Ms. Simmons has built a broad network in private and public financial and consumer markets. Specifically, Ms. Simmons’ commentary, experience as an equities trader, combined with her market and experiential insights has led to her success as a brand leader for women in finance. Ms. Simmons holds a B.S. in Psychology from Kennesaw State University and concentrated her undergraduate studies in genetics and statistics.
Mr. Kevin McKenzie, our director nominee, will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Mr. McKenzie has over 20 years of global private equity experience in leading firms in the market. He has extensive experience in the development and implementation of strategic plans to increase the value of companies for their shareholders. Mr. McKenzie has worked in a multicultural environment during his career and has built relationships with large-scale global partners. Mr. McKenzie holds an MBA in finance from Wharton Business School and an M.A. degree in Management & International Studies degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
• Established Deal Sourcing Network
We believe our management team’s strong track record will provide us with access to high quality companies. In addition, we believe we, through our management team, have contacts and sources from which to generate acquisition opportunities and possibly seek complementary follow-on business arrangements. These contacts and sources include private equity and venture capital sponsors, family offices, executives of public and private companies, merger and acquisition advisory firms, investment banks, capital markets desks, lenders and other financial intermediaries.
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• Status as a Publicly Listed Acquisition Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to prospective target businesses. As a publicly listed company, we will offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering process. We believe that some target businesses will favor this alternative, which we believe is less expensive, while offering greater certainty of execution, than the traditional initial public offering process. During an initial public offering, there are typically underwriting fees and marketing expenses, which would be costlier than a business combination with us. Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is approved by our shareholders (if applicable) and the transaction is consummated, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions that could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would have greater access to capital and additional means of creating management incentives that are better aligned with shareholders’ interests than it would as a private company. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented management staffs.
With respect to the foregoing examples and descriptions, past performance by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. Potential investors should not rely upon the historical record of our management as indicative of future performance.
Certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States on our company, executive officers and directors, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our company, executive officers and directors.
Acquisition Strategies
We will seek to capitalize on the strength of our management team. Our team consists of experienced financial services, accounting and legal professionals and senior operating executives of companies operating in multiple jurisdictions. Collectively, our officers and directors have decades of experience in mergers and acquisitions and operating companies. We believe we will benefit from their accomplishments, and specifically, their current activities, in identifying attractive acquisition opportunities. However, there is no assurance that we will complete a business combination. Our officers and directors have no prior experience consummating a business combination for a “blank check” company. We believe that we will add value to these businesses primarily by providing them with access to the U.S. capital markets.
There is no restriction in the geographic location of targets we can pursue, although we intend to initially prioritize Asia. In particular, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination on private companies in Asia that have compelling economics and clear paths to positive operating cash flow, significant assets, and successful management teams that are seeking access to the U.S. public capital markets. We may consummate a business combination with an entity located in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).
We believe the development of private equity and venture capital activities in Asia also provides us opportunities. According to the Asia-Pacific Private Equity Report 2023 issued by Bain & Company, despite the slower economic growth, certain sectors, including advanced manufacturing and energy and resources, had more deals in 2022. In addition, the report states that “growing embrace of ESG considerations has boosted interest in renewable energy companies.” We believe that Asia is entering a new era of economic development, which we expect will result in attractive initial business combination opportunities for us. We believe such development will primarily be driven by technological innovation, structural economic and policy reforms and demographic changes.
Acquisition Criteria
Our management team intends to focus on creating shareholder value by leveraging its experience in the management, operation and financing of businesses to improve the efficiency of operations while implementing strategies to scale revenue organically and/or through acquisitions. In addition to the factors listed above, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines, which we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we see justification to do so.
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• Resilient Business Model. We intend to seek target companies that have a resilient business model. Such companies are better positioned to adapt to changing market conditions and consumer preferences, which could provide a competitive advantage.
• Industry Leadership with Sustainable Competitive Advantage. We expect to focus on companies that are or have the potential to become leaders in its verticals. We will look for companies with higher operating efficiency, stronger brand recognition, broader distribution channels or any other characteristic that enable the company to achieve long-term competitive proposition.
• Revenue and Earnings Growth Potential. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential for significant revenue and earnings growth through a combination of both existing and new product development, increased production capacity, expense reduction and synergistic follow-on acquisitions resulting in increased operating leverage. We expect such businesses to provide promising risk-adjusted return for our shareholders.
• Benefit from Being a Public Company. We intend to acquire a business or businesses with organic and inorganic growth potential that can benefit from being publicly traded and effectively utilize access to broader sources of capital and a public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company.
This criteria does not intend 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 sponsor and management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into an initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
[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 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 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. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination.
We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each time by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three month extension. (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us, [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial shareholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that we do not complete a business combination. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their
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affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units.
If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of interest that may be used by us to pay our taxes payable and for 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 as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.00 per public share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option) (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full six months), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors, which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
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 w 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.
Potential Legal and Operational Risks Associated with Acquiring a Company that does Business in China
Although we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or China operations, certain of our executive officers and directors are located in, or have significant ties to, China, which may make us a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC than a non-PRC related SPAC. As a result, we are more likely to acquire a company based in China through subsidiaries and VIEs in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. In order to reduce or limit such risks, we will not consider or undertake an initial business combination with any company which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years. Accordingly, this may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in China due in part to PRC laws and regulations against foreign ownership and investment in certain assets and industries, known as restricted industries, including, but not limited to, value added telecommunications services (except for e-commerce, domestic multiparty communications, store-and-forward services and call centers). Further, due to (i) the risks associated with acquiring and operating a business in the PRC and/or Hong Kong and (ii) the fact that certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make a us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China- or non-Hong Kong-based target companies and may also make it more difficult for us to consummate a business combination with a PRC- or Hong Kong-based target business.
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In the event that we determine to pursue a business combination target company based in China or Hong Kong, we may become subject to legal and operational risks because our sponsor operates in China and our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China resulting from PRC laws and regulations that are sometimes vague and uncertain, and which may therefore, present risks that may result in a material change in its principal operations in China, significantly depreciation of the value of the combined company’s securities, or materially hinder or prevent the offering of securities by the combined company to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. For example, if we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the potential lack of PCAOB inspection of its auditors or the auditors of the target business. In addition, the combined company may be subject to legal and operational risks associated with having substantially all of its operations in China, including risks related to the legal, political and economic polies of the Chines government, the relations between China and the United States, or PRC or United States regulations, which risks could have a material adverse effect on the combined company’s operations and the value of the securities of the combined company.
The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company.
The PRC government also recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, according to the New Measures effective on February 15, 2022, network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cyber security review to the Cyber Security Review Office when they go public abroad, and accordingly these companies may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. If we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and cybersecurity and data privacy. The PRC government may also intervene with or influence the combined company’s operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in China, result in material changes in the combined company’s post-combination operations and cause the value of the combined company’s securities to significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors.
If we acquire a company based in China, to the extent that the combined company in the future seeks to fund the business through distribution, dividends or transfer of funds among and between holding company and subsidiaries, any such transfer of funds within and among the subsidiaries will be subject to PRC regulations. Specifically, investment in Chinese companies is governed by the Foreign Investment Law, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China, and any transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries are allowed under and subject to regulations on private lending. Additionally, the PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. In order for the combined company to pay dividends to its shareholders, the combined company will rely on payments made from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company and the distribution of such payments to the combined company as dividends from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company. If we are to acquire a China-based operating company, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payment to parties outside of China and the combined company may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from its subsidiaries, if any.
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more
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authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that PCAOB has secured complete access to inspect and investigate public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and vacated previous determinations to the contrary. However, uncertainties exist with respect to the implementation of this framework and there is no assurance that the PCAOB will be able to execute, in a timely manner, its future inspections and investigations in a manner that satisfies the Protocol. Should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access — in any way and at any point in the future — the Board of PCAOB will act immediately to consider the need to issue a new determination. Our auditor, Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, is a United States accounting firm based in New York City and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Marcum Asia CPAs LLP is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations. As a special purpose acquisition company, our current business activities only involve preparation of this offering and will involve searching for targets and consummation of a business combination following this offering.
In addition, we will affirmatively exclude any target company the financial statements of which are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB has been unable to inspect for two consecutive years at the time of our business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in China, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCAA, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection which could result in limitation or restriction to our access to the U.S capital markets and trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited, under the HFCAA. On December 29, 2022, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which, among other things, amended the HFCAA to reduce the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer before the Commission must impose an initial trading prohibition on the issuer’s securities from three years to two years. Therefore, once an issuer is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years, the Commission is required under the HCFAA to prohibit the trading of the issuer’s securities on a national securities exchange and in the over-the-counter market. If the combined company’s auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the trading of the securities on any U.S. national securities exchanges, as well as any over-the-counter trading in the U.S., will be prohibited.
Furthermore, there may be difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us based on foreign laws. Certain of our current executive officers and directors are located in, or have significant ties to, China. Also, if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, it is possible that substantially all or a significant portion of combined company’s assets may be located outside of the United States and some of the combined company’s officers and directors may reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process upon these officers and directors who reside outside of the United States. Even with effective service of process, it may also be difficult to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against the officers and directors. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against the officers and directors predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment by us against the officers or directors or the future combined company if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or the public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States. No PRC legal counsel has been retained for purpose of this offering and consequently the company did not rely on the advice of PRC counsel. The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we begin our business combination process with a China-based target, we expect to retain a
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PRC legal counsel who will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the enforceability of civil liabilities and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s assessment above. Furthermore, there would be added costs and issues with bringing an original action in foreign courts against the combined company or the officers and directors to enforce liabilities based upon the U.S. Federal securities laws, and they still may be fruitless.
Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering or a Business Combination
Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering
Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the rules and regulations listed above from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company, given that: (a) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules; (b) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in the Cayman Islands rather than in China, and currently, the company conducts no business in China, and (c) our sponsor, controlled by a U.S. citizen, is a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, rather than China and currently the sponsor conducts no business in China.
We do not believe that we require any approval from PRC governmental authorities for this offering, including, but not limited to, those permission requirements of the CSRC, Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”), notwithstanding that a majority of our officers and directors have significant ties to China. Accordingly, we have not applied for (or been denied) any permissions by any PRC governmental authorities. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we may face approval delays, adverse actions, or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.
However, there can be no assurance that the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as us, or that the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities would not promulgate new rules or new interpretations of current rules which would require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we may face approval delays, adverse actions, or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.
In any such event, complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules and any required approval processes with PRC governmental authorities could be time-consuming and may delay this offering or a potential business combination. These governmental authorities may impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as significantly limit or significantly hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless, if we fail to comply with the above-mentioned regulations or other relevant rules. No PRC legal counsel has been retained for purpose of this offering and consequently the company did not rely on the advice of PRC counsel. The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in China regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering and a potential business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.
Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the Business Combination
We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Though we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or China operations, we may consummate our initial business combination with a target with principal operations in China (excluding any target company the financial statements of which are audited by an accounting firm identified by the PCAOB in the Determination Report, or that the PCAOB has been unable to inspect for two consecutive years and be subject to certain legal and operational risks associated with its operations in the PRC.
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The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”), adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006, and amended in 2009, require an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The scope of the M&A Rules covers two types of transactions: (a) equity deals where the acquisition by a foreign investor, i.e., the offshore special purpose vehicle, of equity in a “PRC domestic company,” and (b) asset deals where the acquisition by an offshore special purpose vehicle of the assets of a “PRC domestic company.” Neither the equity deals or the asset deals will be involved in our business combination process with a China-based target for the reason that the offshore special purpose vehicle of such China-based target directly holds shares through the wholly foreign owned enterprise(s) or WFOE, which are established by means of direct investment rather than by equity deals or asset deals under the M&A Rules. To date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a China-based entity as part of the business combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. As a result, based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices, the CSRC’s approval under the M&A Rules will not be required in the context of our business combination with a China-based target. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules to offshore special purpose vehicles and the above analysis are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementation and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from CSRC in order for us to complete a business combination with a China-based target pursuant to the M&A Rules. If we are required to obtain such approvals, we cannot assure we will be able to receive them in a timely manner, or at all.
In addition, on December 24, 2021, the CSRC released for public comments Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) and Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft Rules”). The Draft Rules, if declared into effect, will implement a new regulatory framework requiring Chinese businesses to file with CSRC when pursuing overseas listings. The Draft Rules propose a new filing system for all Chinese companies (including the VIE-structured companies) that are pursuing listings outside mainland China. An overseas listing is required to be filed with CSRC within three working days (i) following the submission of IPO application in the case of an IPO (or similar application in the case of a dual listing on another market), or (ii) following the submission of offering/registration applications (or following the first announcement of the transaction, as applicable) in the case of a SPAC listing or “back-door” listing. It is our management’s understanding that the Draft Rules, if enacted as it is, will subject a China-based target to the new filing system if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with such target. The China-based target and the combined company may be subject to additional compliance requirements in the future if a final rule is adopted with material changes from the Draft Rules. Though we believe that none of the situations that would clearly prohibit overseas listing and offering applies to us, we cannot assure you that we will be able to receive clearance of such filing requirements in a timely manner, or at all.
On December 27, 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission (the “NDRC”) and the Ministry of Commerce (the “MOFCOM”) promulgated Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2021 Version), effective as of January 1, 2022 (the “Negative List”). Compared to the previous version, there are no specific industries added to the list but, for the first time, it declares China’s jurisdiction over (and detailed regulatory requirements on) overseas listings made by Chinese businesses in the so-called “Prohibited Industries.” According to Article 6 of the Negative List, domestic enterprises engaging in businesses in which foreign investment is prohibited shall obtain approval from the relevant authorities before offering and listing their shares on an overseas stock exchange. In addition, certain foreign investors shall not be involved in the operation or management of the relevant enterprise, and shareholding percentage restrictions under relevant domestic securities investment management regulations shall apply to such foreign investors. The intended scope of such jurisdiction was further clarified by NDRC officials on a press conference held on January 18, 2022.
On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law (the “Opinions”), which call for strengthened regulation over illegal securities activities and supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies and propose to take effective measures, such as promoting the development of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies.
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Uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules could be interpreted or implemented in the future, and the Opinions stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules.
Furthermore, pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC. In April 2020, the CAC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which requires that operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. On January 4, 2022, the CAC, in conjunction with 12 other government departments issued the New Measures for Cybersecurity Review (the “New Measures”). The New Measures amends the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (Draft Revision for Comments) (the “Draft Measures”) released on July 10, 2021 and came into effect on February 15, 2022. The New Measures include data processing activities of network platform operators that affect or may affect national security into cybersecurity review and clarify that network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cybersecurity review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad. The PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021, imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals that carry out data activities, provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Personal Information Protection Law (the “PIPL”), which is to take effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL sets out the regulatory framework for the handling and protection of personal information and the transmission of personal information overseas. If our potential future target business in China involves collecting and retaining internal or customer data, it is our management’s understanding that such target business might be subject to the relevant cybersecurity laws and regulations, including the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PIPL as discussed above, and that such target business needs to go through the cybersecurity review process before effecting a business combination if it is deemed as a critical information infrastructure operator purchasing internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, a network platform operator that affect or may affect national security, or a network platform operator with personal information of more than one million users. Since the New Measures is new, the implementation and interpretation thereof are not yet clear.
No PRC legal counsel has been retained for purpose of this offering and consequently the Company did not rely on the advice of PRC counsel. The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we engage in our business combination process with a China-based target, we expect to retain legal experts in the PRC and the U.S. that are experienced with structuring offshore transactions with U.S. public companies. Additionally, we expect that the PRC legal expert will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the business combination and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s assessment above. We plan to consult with PRC government officials when possible to assist us with complying with these structuring considerations and changing developments.
Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in China (Post-Business Combination)
We are a blank check company with no subsidiaries and no operations of our own except organizational activities, the preparation of this offering and, following the closing of this offering, searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. As of the date of this prospectus, no transfers, dividends, or distribution have been made by us.
If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company whose securities will be listed on a U.S. stock exchange may make capital contributions or extend loans to its PRC subsidiaries through intermediate holding companies subject to compliance with relevant PRC foreign exchange control regulations. After the business combination, the combined company’s ability to pay dividends, if any, to the shareholders and to service any debt it may incur will depend upon dividends paid by its PRC subsidiaries. Under PRC laws and regulations, PRC companies are subject to certain restrictions with respect to
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paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets to offshore entities. In particular, under the current PRC laws and regulations, dividends may be paid only out of distributable profits. Distributable profits are the net profit as determined under Chinese accounting standards and regulations, less any recovery of accumulated losses and appropriations to statutory and other reserves required to be made. A PRC company is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year to fund certain statutory reserve funds (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of its registered capital). As a result, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries may not have sufficient distributable profits to pay dividends to the combined company. Furthermore, if certain procedural requirements are satisfied, the payment in foreign currencies on current account items, including profit distributions and trade and service related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approval from State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”) or its local branches. However, where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses, such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies, approval from or registration with competent government authorities or its authorized banks is required.
The PRC government may take measures at its discretion from time to time to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account or capital account transactions. If the foreign exchange control regulations prevent the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy their foreign currency demands, the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company may not be able to pay dividends or repay loans in foreign currencies to their offshore intermediary holding companies and ultimately to the combined company. We cannot assure you that new regulations or policies will not be promulgated in the future, which may further restrict the remittance of Renminbi into or out of the PRC. We cannot assure you, in light of the restrictions in place, or any amendment to be made from time to time, that the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will be able to satisfy their respective payment obligations that are denominated in foreign currencies, including the distribution of earnings from our businesses, including subsidiaries, to the parent company and U.S. investors as well as the ability to settle amounts owed under contractual agreements.
Furthermore, the transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries are subject to the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Private Lending Cases (2020 Revision, the “Provisions on Private Lending Cases”), which was issued by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China on August 25, 2015 and amended on August 19, 2020 and December 29, 2020, respectively, to regulate the financing activities between natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organizations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases do not apply to the disputes arising from relevant financial services such as loan disbursement by financial institutions and their branches established upon approval by the financial regulatory authorities to engage in lending business. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that private lending contracts will be deemed invalid under the circumstance that (i) the lender swindles loans from financial institutions for relending; (ii) the lender relends the funds obtained by means of a loan from another profit-making legal person, raising funds from its employees, or illegally taking deposits from the public; (iii) the lender who has not obtained the lending qualification according to the law lends money to any unspecified object of the society for the purpose of making profits; (iv) the lender lends funds to a borrower when the lender knows or should have known that the borrower intended to use the borrowed funds for illegal or criminal purposes; (v) the lending is violations of public orders or good morals; or (vi) the lending violates mandatory provisions of laws or administrative regulations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that the People’s Court shall support the interest rates not exceeding four times of the market interest rate quoted for one-year loan at the time the private lending contracts were entered into. It is our management’s understanding that the Provisions on Private Lending Cases does not prohibit using cash generated from one subsidiary to fund another subsidiary’s operations. We have not been notified of any other restriction which could limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to transfer cash between subsidiaries.
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.
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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 $1.235 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.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated on June 13, 2023. Our executive offices are located at 899 Ruining Road, Yangguang Binjiang Center, South Building, Unit 808, Shanghai, PRC.
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.
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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” beginning on page 35 of this prospectus.
Securities offered | | 5,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one right. Each right entitles the holder thereof to receive one-fifth (1/5) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus. |
Listing of our securities and symbols | | We anticipate that the units, the Class A ordinary shares and rights once they begin separate trading, will be listed on [Nasdaq] under the symbols “[•]U,” “[•]” and “[•]R,” respectively. |
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and rights | | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Each of the Class A ordinary shares and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd business day following the date of this prospectus unless Maxim informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin.
Once the Class A ordinary shares and rights commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and rights. In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and rights be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place on the second business day after the date the units commence trading. 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 disclose the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. We will also include in the Form 8-K, or amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if Maxim has allowed separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and rights prior to the 52nd business day after the date of this prospectus. |
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Units: | | |
Number outstanding before this offering and the private placement | | 0 units
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Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement | | 5,240,000 units(1)
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Ordinary shares: | | |
Number outstanding before this offering and the private placement | | 1,437,500 shares(2)
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Number to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement | | 6,690,000 shares(1)(3)
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Rights: | | |
Number outstanding whole rights before this offering and the private placement | | 0 rights
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Number of outstanding whole rights after this offering and the private placement | | 5,240,000 rights(1)
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Terms of rights | | Except in cases where we are not the surviving company in a business combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive one-fifth (1/5) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination. We will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Cayman law. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of five in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. In the event we will not be the surviving company upon completion of our initial business combination, each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the one-fifth (1/5) of one ordinary share underlying each right upon consummation of the business combination. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we redeem the public shares for the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds for their rights and the rights will expire worthless. |
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Prior issuance of founder shares | | On July 4, 2023 and September 29, 2023, our sponsor acquired 100 and 1,437,400 founder shares, respectively, for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. As of December 31, 2023, there were 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares issued to our sponsor. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (not including the ordinary shares issuable underlying the private placement units, any shares underlying units issued upon conversion of working capital loans and any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination). As such, our initial shareholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding private placement shares and representative shares). Except as provided with regard to the private placement discussed herein, neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any units in this offering. Up to 187,500 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised so that our initial shareholders will maintain ownership of 20% of our ordinary shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and representative shares). We will effect a share dividend or share contribution prior to this offering should the size of the offering change, in order to maintain such ownership percentage. 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 election of directors prior to our initial business combination; • the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein, for no additional consideration; • the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
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| | • our sponsor, officers and directors [have entered into] a letter agreement, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder 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 if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) (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); and • the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. |
Private placement units and underlying securities | | [Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement], to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 private placement units (or up to 251,250 private placement units if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), at a price of $10.00 per unit $2,400,000 in the aggregate, or up to $2,512,500 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement units will be identical to the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $50,000,000 (or $57,500,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds from the sale of the private 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 private placement units will expire worthless.
Our sponsor has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to its private placement shares (i) in connection with the consummation 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the completion of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) and (iii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the completion of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 12-month period (or up to 18 months from the completion of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). However, our sponsor will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by it if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the 12-month period (or up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). |
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Transfer restrictions on founder shares | | Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of our initial business combination and (2) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after our initial business combination, 50% of the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. |
Conversion and anti-dilution rights of founder shares | | The Class B ordinary 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 for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein, for no additional consideration. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial 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 outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such 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, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination or any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor, its affiliates or certain of our officers and directors upon conversion of working capital loans made to us). Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for 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 rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, rights or similar securities.
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Representative shares | | We have agreed to issue to Maxim and/or its designees, 200,000 ordinary shares (or up to 230,000 ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) upon the consummation of this offering. These shares are being registered in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Maxim has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, Maxim has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). |
Appointment of directors; 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 Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. 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. |
Offering proceeds to be held in trust | | Net proceeds of $50,000,000 (or $57,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) from this offering and the proceeds we will receive from the sale of the private placement units, or $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering (regardless of whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) (which amount is less expenses of the offering plus the contributed value of the private placement units) will be placed in a United States-based trust account maintained by [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company], acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination and our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. Therefore, except as set forth below, unless and until an initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business. |
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| | Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us from the trust account any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we need to pay our income or other tax obligations, and, if applicable, up to $50,000 of interest to pay liquidation expenses (which interest shall be net of taxes payable). Aside from these exceptions, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust account. Additionally, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into units at a price of $10.00 per unit. These units would be identical to the private placement units. 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. |
Ability to extend time to complete business combination | | We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit an aggregate of $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per public share in either case), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three-month extension (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per public share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination, [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
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Anticipated expenses and funding sources | | Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations or in an interest bearing demand deposit account. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations, an interest bearing demand deposit account or money market funds or a combination thereof. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $2.6 million of interest annually assuming an interest rate of 5.24% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: • the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $650,000 in expenses (not including underwriting commissions) relating to this offering; and any 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 that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of an initial business combination. |
Conditions to completing our initial business combination | | There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. [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 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.
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 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. 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. |
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| | If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that 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. |
Permitted purchases of public shares and public rights 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, 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. 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, advisors 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 consummation of this offering, we will 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.
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, advisors 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. |
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Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination | |
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (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 $10.00 per public share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per unit in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our public rights or private placement rights. Our sponsor, officers and directors [have entered into] a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder 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 shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under [Nasdaq] rules, asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our 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 [Nasdaq], we will be required to comply with such rules. |
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| | 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. 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, if enough shareholders tender their shares so that we are unable to satisfy any applicable closing condition set forth in the definitive agreement related to our initial business combination, or we are unable to maintain net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon the consummation of initial business combination, we will not consummate such 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 ten 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 a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors [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 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares). If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our insiders [have agreed], pursuant to such letter agreement, to vote their founder shares, private 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 private placement shares, we would need only 1,855,001, or 37.1%, of the 5,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved or 182,501, or 3.65%, of the 5,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming only a quorum is present at such meeting held to vote on our initial business combination) (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised)). Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. We have determined not to consummate any business combination unless we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation in order to avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares redeemed) and may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. |
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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 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote | |
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our 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. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our 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 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 and directors [have agreed], pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, to waive 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 subject to the 15% limitation in connection with any such redemption right.
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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 will provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-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), may be amended if approved by special resolution by at least two-thirds of our shareholders who being entitled to do so, attend and vote at such general meeting in person or by proxy, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of [two-thirds] of our ordinary shares. Should our insiders vote all of their shares in favor of any such amendment, such amendment would not be approved regardless of how public shares are voted. 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 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative 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 it chooses. 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 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 and directors [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 and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
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Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination | | On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us, other than funds the trustee will use 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 all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt 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, and directors have agreed that we will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 12-month period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 $50,000 of interest to pay liquidation 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 each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to public rights or private placement rights. The rights will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 12-month time period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
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| | Our sponsor, officers and directors [have entered into] a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). However, if our sponsor acquires 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 12-month time frame (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 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. |
Limited payments to insiders | | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, 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 private placement units held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: • repayment of an aggregate of up to $500,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; • payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services; • reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
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| | • 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 and non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our sponsor to extend the time period for consummating our initial business combination, the terms of which (other than as described above) have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the private placement units. • Repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three month extension. (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us, [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units 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 our or their affiliates. |
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Audit Committee | | We will establish and maintain an audit committee. Among its responsibilities, the audit committee will 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 promptly 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.” |
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, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, 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, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. 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 vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, 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 |
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Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| | December 31, 2023 |
| | Actual | | As Adjusted |
Balance Sheet Data: | | | | | | | |
Working capital (deficit)(1) | | $ | (333,076 | ) | | $ | 888,929 |
Total assets(2) | | $ | 317,923 | | | $ | 50,962,856 |
Total liabilities(3) | | $ | 355,067 | | | $ | 73,927 |
Value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption(4) | | $ | — | | | $ | 46,289,863 |
Shareholders’ equity (deficit)(5) | | $ | (37,144 | ) | | $ | 4,599,066 |
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
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Risks
We are a newly incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
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:
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
• Certain of our officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination. See page 35 for additional information.
• Since a majority of our directors and officers are based in or have significant ties to China, the Chinese government may have potential oversight and discretion over the conduct of our directors’ and officers’ search for a target company. The Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time through our directors and officers who are based in or have significant ties in China, which could result in a material change in our search for a target business and the value of the securities we are offering. Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be adopted quickly with little advance notice and could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate. See page 35 for additional information.
• Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination. See page 36 for additional information.
• 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. See page 36 for additional information.
• 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. See page 37 for additional information.
• 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. See page 37 for additional information.
• The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure. See page 37 for additional information.
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• 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. See page 37 for additional information.
• The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders. See page 38 for additional information.
• We may extend our time period to consummate our initial business combination for up to six months and accordingly have a total of up to 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate a business combination without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. See page 38 for additional information.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the U.S.
• If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the U.S., we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our business operations and financial results. See page 50 for additional information.
• If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights. See page 50 for additional information.
• Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations after we acquire it, our results of operations may be negatively impacted following a business combination. See page 51 for additional information.
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
• 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. See page 55 for additional information.
• Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us. See page 55 for additional information.
• We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate. See page 55 for additional information.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
• [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. See page 59 for additional information.
• The grant of registration rights to our sponsor and holders of our private placement units and representative shares 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. See page 59 for additional information.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in China
• Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to investors and our company. See page 64 for additional information.
• The PRC government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we conduct our business activities if we pursue a business combination with a China-based business. The PRC government may
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intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas, which could result in a material change in our operations and the value of our securities, and could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. See page 64 for additional information.
• The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for certain acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue a business combination with a China-based business. See page 65 for additional information.
• If, after our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets will be located in China and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations there, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in China as well as litigation and publicity surrounding China-based companies listed in the United States. See page 66 for additional information.
• Agreements we may enter into with potential future subsidiaries and affiliated entities or acquisitions of offshore entities that conduct operations through affiliates in the PRC may be subject to a high level of scrutiny by the relevant tax authorities. See page 67 for additional information.
• Complying with evolving PRC laws and regulations regarding cybersecurity, information security, privacy and data protection and other related laws and requirements may increase the cost of our initial business combination with a China-based business and could even result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination with a China-based business. See page 68 for additional information.
General Risks Related to Our Business
• We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. See page 77 for additional information.
• Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.” See page 78 for additional information.
• You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or rights, potentially at a loss. See page 78 for additional information.
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this 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. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below.
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
Certain of our officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. Further, due to the fact that certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China-or non-Hong Kong-based target companies, and such perception may potentially limit or negatively impact our search for an initial business combination or may therefore make it more likely for us to consummate a business combination with a company based in or having the majority of its operations in the PRC and/or Hong Kong. Therefore, this may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination with a target company within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time, as described in more detail in this prospectus).
Since a majority of our directors and officers are based in or have significant ties to China, the Chinese government may have potential oversight and discretion over the conduct of our directors’ and officers’ search for a target company. The Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time through our directors and officers who are based in or have significant ties in China, which could result in a material change in our search for a target business and the value of the securities we are offering. Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be adopted quickly with little advance notice and could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate.
We and our directors and officers who are based in or have significant ties to China may be subject to certain risks relating to regulatory oversight by the PRC government. This may significantly limit our ability to search for candidates for our initial business combination. In particular, changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be adopted quickly with little advance notice. The Chinese government may also intervene or influence our search for a target business or the completion of an initial business combination at any time through our directors and officers who are based in or have significant ties to China. This could significantly and negatively impact our search for a target business and the value of the securities we are offering for sale.
We currently do not hold any equity interest in any PRC company or operate any business in China. Therefore, we do not believe we are required to obtain any permission from any PRC governmental authorities to operate our business as currently conducted or to conduct this offering and offer securities to foreign investors. As of the date of this prospectus, we and our directors and officers have not applied for or received any permission or approvals for this offering or for our search for an initial business combination target company post offering. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in China regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering and a potential business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or any other governmental authorities. However, there remains significant uncertainty as to the enactment, interpretation and implementation of regulatory requirements related to overseas securities offerings and other capital markets activities.
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If it is determined in the future that the approval of the CSRC, the CAC or any other regulatory authority is required for this offering, we or our post-business combination company may face sanctions by the CSRC, the CAC or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operations in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities. The CSRC, the CAC or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of our units. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC, the CAC or other regulatory PRC agencies later promulgate new rules requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties or negative publicity regarding such an approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our securities.
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable Cayman Islands law or the rules of [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, [Nasdaq] rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a shareholder 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 consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. 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.
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 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 22.3% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (including the private placement shares and the representative shares) at the time of any such shareholder vote. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholder’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 1,855,001, or 37.1%, of the 5,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) or 182,501, or 3.6%, of the 5,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming only a quorum is present at such 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.
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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. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 both immediately prior to and upon consummation of our initial business combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we may be forced to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore 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. 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 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.
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The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may extend our time period to consummate our initial business combination for up to six months and accordingly have a total of up to 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate a business combination without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith.
We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and subject to deposit of additional funds by our sponsor or its affiliates or designees into our trust account as set forth thereunder, we may effectuate such extensions without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection with the proposed extensions.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause 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 consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our rights will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). We may not be able to find a suitable target
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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 $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further 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 each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Our ability to complete a business combination may be impacted by the fact that certain of our officers and directors are located in, or have significant ties to, China. This may make us a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC, thereby limiting our pool of acquisition candidates and making it harder for us to complete an initial business combination with a non-China-based target company.
Certain of our directors and officers are located in, or have significant ties to, China. As a result, we may be a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC, thereby limiting our pool of acquisition candidates. This would impact our search for a target company and make it harder for us to complete an initial business combination with a non-China-based target company. For example, we may not be able to complete an initial business combination with a U.S. target company if such initial business combination is subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by a U.S. government entity. Certain federally licensed businesses in the United States, such as broadcasters and airlines, may be subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership. In addition, CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States by foreign persons in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. We may be considered a “foreign person” under such rules and regulations and any proposed business combination between us and a U.S. business engaged in a regulated industry or which may affect national security could be subject to such foreign ownership restrictions and/or CFIUS review.
The scope of CFIUS was expanded by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) to include certain non-passive, non-controlling investments in sensitive U.S. businesses and certain acquisitions of real estate even with no underlying U.S. business. FIRRMA and subsequent implementing regulations that are now in force also subject certain categories of investments to mandatory filings. If our potential initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within the scope of foreign ownership restrictions, we may be unable to consummate a business combination with such business.
In addition, if our potential business combination falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may be required to make a mandatory filing, determine to submit a voluntary notice to CFIUS, or proceed with the initial business combination without notifying CFIUS and then bear the risk of CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the initial business combination. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our initial business combination, impose conditions to mitigate national security concerns with respect to such initial business combination or order us to divest all or a portion of a U.S. business of the combined company if we had proceeded without first obtaining CFIUS clearance. The foreign ownership limitations, and the potential impact of CFIUS, may limit the attractiveness of a transaction with us or prevent us from pursuing certain initial business combination opportunities that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have similar foreign ownership issues.
Moreover, the process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we only have 12 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may prevent us from completing the transaction and require us to liquidate. If we liquidate, our public shareholders may
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only receive $10.00 per share initially, and our rights will expire worthless. Our public shareholders may also lose the potential investment opportunity in a target company and the opportunity of realizing future gains on such investments through any price appreciation in the combined company.
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 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 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, advisors 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 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 Class A 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. However, in the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares from public shareholders, such purchases would by structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
• the Company’s registration statement/proxy statement filed for its business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
• if the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through the Company’s redemption process;
• the Company’s registration statement/proxy statement filed for its business combination transaction would include a representation that any of the Company’s securities purchased by the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
• the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to the Company’s securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and
• the Company would disclose in its Form 8-K, before to the Company’s security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items:
• the amount of the Company’s securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates, along with the purchase price;
• the purpose of the purchases by the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates;
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• the impact, if any, of the purchases by the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved;
• the identities of Company security holders who sold to the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of Company security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to the Company’s sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates; and
• the number of Company securities for which the Company has received redemption requests pursuant to its redemption offer.
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.”
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 will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Class A 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 the Class A ordinary 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 Class A ordinary shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such Class A ordinary shares, would be required to sell your Class A ordinary shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption, and our rights will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, 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
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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 $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time); 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 $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient to fund our working capital requirements, 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 and the sale of the private placement units, only approximately $1,000,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $650,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $650,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our 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 $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on our redemption of our public shares, and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.00. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
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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 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.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a widespread health crisis that has adversely affected the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information 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 consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such 12 months (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less up to $50,000 of the net interest earned thereon to pay 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 12 months (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and
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only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A 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.
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 a business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector. However, we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet identified 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 a 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.
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 $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless.
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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 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 or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity, or our Board 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 for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or from an independent accounting firm 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.
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 under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located. The transaction may require a shareholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder 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 to pay such taxes. Shareholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors.
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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 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.
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 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 for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our 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.
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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 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;
• 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 and the sale of the private placement units, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds not held in trust account from this offering and the sale of the private placement units, $1,000,000 will be available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses.
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
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operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or of setting 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 may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
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 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 stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
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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 have redeemed their Class A ordinary shares.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. 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, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination.
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 consummate 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 consummate a business combination through amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, each of which will require at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, meaning a resolution passed by holders of at least two thirds of our shareholders, who being entitled to do so, attend and vote at such general meeting of our shareholders.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units 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 $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our rights will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
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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 (U.S.), 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.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the U.S.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the U.S., we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our business operations and financial results.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the U.S., we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:
• rules and regulations or currency redemption or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
• laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
• tariffs and trade barriers;
• regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
• longer payment cycles;
• tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the U.S.;
• currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
• rates of inflation;
• challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
• cultural and language differences;
• employment regulations;
• crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and
• deterioration of political relations with the U.S. which could result in any number of difficulties, both normal course such as above or extraordinary such as sanctions being imposed. We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
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Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under Federal securities laws.
Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations after we acquire it, our results of operations may be negatively impacted following a business combination.
Managing a business, operations, personnel or assets in another country is challenging and costly. Management of the target business that we may hire (whether based abroad or in the U.S.) may be inexperienced in cross-border business practices and unaware of significant differences in accounting rules, legal regimes and labor practices. Even with a seasoned and experienced management team, the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, personnel and assets can be significant (and much higher than in a purely domestic business) and may negatively impact our financial and operational performance.
Many of the economies in Asia are experiencing substantial inflationary pressures which may prompt the governments to take action to control the growth of the economy and inflation that could lead to a significant decrease in our profitability following our initial business combination.
While many of the economies in Asia have experienced rapid growth over the last two decades, they currently are experiencing inflationary pressures. As governments take steps to address the current inflationary pressures, there may be significant changes in the availability of bank credits, interest rates, limitations on loans, restrictions on currency conversions and foreign investment. There also may be imposition of price controls. If prices for the products of our ultimate target business rise at a rate that is insufficient to compensate for the rise in the costs of supplies, it may have an adverse effect on our profitability. If these or other similar restrictions are imposed by a government to influence the economy, it may lead to a slowing of economic growth. Because we are not limited to any specific industry, the ultimate industry that we operate in may be affected more severely by such a slowing of economic growth.
Many industries in Asia are subject to government regulations that limit or prohibit foreign investments in such industries, which may limit the potential number of acquisition candidates.
Governments in many Asian countries have imposed regulations that limit foreign investors’ equity ownership or prohibit foreign investments altogether in companies that operate in certain industries. As a result, the number of potential acquisition candidates available to us may be limited or our ability to grow and sustain the business, which we ultimately acquire will be limited.
If a country in Asia enacts regulations in industry segments that forbid or restrict foreign investment, our ability to consummate our initial business combination could be severely impaired.
Many of the rules and regulations that companies face concerning foreign ownership are not explicitly communicated. If new laws or regulations forbid or limit foreign investment in industries in which we want to complete our initial business combination, they could severely impair our candidate pool of potential target businesses. Additionally, if the relevant central and local authorities find us or the target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination to be in violation of any existing or future laws or regulations, they would have broad discretion in dealing with such a violation, including, without limitation:
• levying fines;
• revoking our business and other licenses;
• requiring that we restructure our ownership or operations; and
• requiring that we discontinue any portion or all of our business.
Any of the above could have an adverse effect on our company post-business combination and could materially reduce the value of your investment.
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Many countries, and especially those in emerging markets, have difficult and unpredictable legal systems and underdeveloped laws and regulations that are unclear and subject to corruption and inexperience, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to seek and enforce legal protections, including with respect to intellectual property and other property rights, or to defend ourselves with regard to legal actions taken against us in a given country, may be difficult or impossible, which could adversely impact our operations, assets or financial condition.
Rules and regulations in many countries, including some of the emerging markets within the regions we will initially focus, are often ambiguous or open to differing interpretation by responsible individuals and agencies at the municipal, state, regional and federal levels. The attitudes and actions of such individuals and agencies are often difficult to predict and inconsistent.
Delay with respect to the enforcement of particular rules and regulations, including those relating to customs, tax, environmental and labor, could cause serious disruption to operations abroad and negatively impact our results.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue may 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. The economies in developing markets we will initially focus on differ from the economies of most developed countries in many respects. Such economic growth has been 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 consummate 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 consummation 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 consummation 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 consummate such transaction.
Because our business objective includes the possibility of acquiring one or more operating businesses with primary operations in emerging markets we will focus on, changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the currency of any relevant jurisdiction may affect our ability to achieve such objective. If the U.S. dollar declines in value against the relevant currency, any business combination will be more expensive and therefore more difficult to complete. Furthermore, we may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and the relevant currency, which may make it more difficult to consummate a business combination.
Because foreign law could govern almost all of our material agreements, we may not be able to enforce our rights within such jurisdiction or elsewhere, which could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
Foreign law could govern almost all of our material agreements. The target business may not be able to enforce any of its material agreements or remedies may be unavailable outside of such foreign jurisdiction’s legal system. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws and contracts in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the U.S. Judiciaries in such jurisdiction may also be relatively inexperienced in enforcing
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corporate and commercial law, leading to a higher than usual degree of uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation. As a result, the inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business and business opportunities.
Corporate governance standards in foreign countries may not be as strict or developed as in the U.S. and such weakness may hide issues and operational practices that are detrimental to a target business.
General corporate governance standards in some countries are weak in that they do not prevent business practices that cause unfavorable related party transactions, over-leveraging, improper accounting, family company interconnectivity and poor management. Local laws often do not go far to prevent improper business practices. Therefore, shareholders may not be treated impartially and equally as a result of poor management practices, asset shifting, conglomerate structures that result in preferential treatment to some parts of the overall company, and cronyism. The lack of transparency and ambiguity in the regulatory process also may result in inadequate credit evaluation and weakness that may precipitate or encourage financial crisis. In our evaluation of a business combination we will have to evaluate the corporate governance of a target and the business environment, and in accordance with U.S. laws for reporting companies take steps to implement practices that will cause compliance with all applicable rules and accounting practices. Notwithstanding these intended efforts, there may be endemic practices and local laws that could add risk to an investment we ultimately make and that result in an adverse effect on our operations and financial results.
Companies in foreign countries may be subject to accounting, auditing, regulatory and financial standards and requirements that differ, in some cases significantly, from those applicable to public companies in the United States, which may make it more difficult or complex to consummate a business combination. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a foreign company may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had such financial statements been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and there may be substantially less publicly available information about companies in certain jurisdictions than there is about comparable U.S. companies. Moreover, foreign companies may not be subject to the same degree of regulation as are U.S. companies with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, shareholder proxy requirements and the timely disclosure of information.
Legal principles relating to corporate affairs and the validity of corporate procedures, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and shareholders’ rights for foreign corporations may differ from those that may apply in the U.S., which may make the consummation of a business combination with a foreign company more difficult. We therefore may have more difficulty in achieving our business objective.
Because a foreign judiciary may determine the scope and enforcement of almost all of our target business’ material agreements under the law of such foreign jurisdiction, we may be unable to enforce our rights inside and outside of such jurisdiction.
The law of a foreign jurisdiction may govern almost all of our target business’ material agreements, some of which may be with governmental agencies in such jurisdiction. We cannot assure you that the target business or businesses will be able to enforce any of their material agreements or that remedies will be available outside of such jurisdiction. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements may have a material adverse impact on our future operations.
A slowdown in economic growth in the markets that our business target operates in may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, the value of its equity shares and the trading price of our shares following our business combination.
Following the business combination, our results of operations and financial condition may be dependent on, and may be adversely affected by, conditions in financial markets in the global economy, and, particularly in the markets where the business operates. The specific economy could be adversely affected by various factors such as political or regulatory action, including adverse changes in liberalization policies, business corruption, social disturbances, terrorist attacks and other acts of violence or war, natural calamities, interest rates, inflation, commodity and energy prices and various other factors which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, value of our equity shares and the trading price of our shares following the business combination.
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Regional hostilities, terrorist attacks, communal disturbances, civil unrest and other acts of violence or war may result in a loss of investor confidence and a decline in the value of our equity shares and trading price of our shares following our business combination.
Terrorist attacks, civil unrest and other acts of violence or war may negatively affect the markets in which we may operate our business following our business combination and also adversely affect the worldwide financial markets. In addition, the countries we will focus on, have from time to time experienced instances of civil unrest and hostilities among or between neighboring countries. Any such hostilities and tensions may result in investor concern about stability in the region, which may adversely affect the value of our equity shares and the trading price of our shares following our business combination. Events of this nature in the future, as well as social and civil unrest, could influence the economy in which our business target operates, and could have an adverse effect on our business, including the value of equity shares and the trading price of our shares following our business combination.
The occurrence of natural disasters may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations following our business combination.
The occurrence of natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and pandemic disease may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations following our business combination. The potential impact of a natural disaster on our results of operations and financial position is speculative, and would depend on numerous factors. The extent and severity of these natural disasters determines their effect on a given economy. Although the long-term effect of diseases such as COVID-19, the H5N1 “avian flu,” or H1N1, the swine flu, cannot currently be predicted, previous occurrences of avian flu and swine flu had an adverse effect on the economies of those countries in which they were most prevalent. An outbreak of a communicable disease in our market could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations following our business combination. We cannot assure you that natural disasters will not occur in the future or that our business, financial condition and results of operations will not be adversely affected.
Any downgrade of credit ratings of the country in which the company we acquire business may adversely affect our ability to raise debt financing following our business combination.
No assurance can be given that any rating organization will not downgrade the credit ratings of the sovereign foreign long-term debt of the country in which our business target operates, which reflect an assessment of the overall financial capacity of the government of such country to pay its obligations and its ability to meet its financial commitments as they become due. Any downgrade could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our future variable rate debt and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms in the future. This could have an adverse effect on our financial condition following our business combination.
Returns on investment in foreign companies may be decreased by withholding and other taxes.
Our investments will incur tax risk unique to investment in developing economies. Income that might otherwise not be subject to withholding of local income tax under normal international conventions may be subject to withholding of income tax in a developing economy. Additionally, proof of payment of withholding taxes may be required as part of the remittance procedure. Any withholding taxes paid by us on income from our investments in such country may or may not be creditable on our income tax returns. We intend to seek to minimize any withholding tax or local tax otherwise imposed. However, there is no assurance that the foreign tax authorities will recognize application of such treaties to achieve a minimization of such tax. We may also elect to create foreign subsidiaries to effect the business combinations to attempt to limit the potential tax consequences of a business combination.
If relations between the United States and foreign governments deteriorate, it could cause potential target businesses or their goods and services to become less attractive.
The relationship between the United States and foreign governments could be subject to sudden fluctuation and periodic tension. For instance, the United States may announce its intention to impose quotas on certain imports. Such import quotas may adversely affect political relations between the two countries and result in retaliatory countermeasures by the foreign government in industries that may affect our ultimate target business. Changes in political conditions in foreign countries and changes in the state of U.S. relations with such countries are difficult to predict and could adversely
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affect our operations or cause potential target businesses or their goods and services to become less attractive. Because we are not limited to any specific industry, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible extent of any impact on our ultimate operations if relations are strained between the United States and a foreign country in which we acquire a target business or move our principal manufacturing or service operations.
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, certain, if not all, members of our management team will likely resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will become of the management of the post-business combination company. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with our 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.
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
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) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so 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 $10.00 per share.
Past performance by our management team and their respective 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 team, including their affiliates’ past performance, is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team and 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. None of our officers or directors has had experience operating a blank check company in the past.
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 and, in particular, Dr. Fen Zhang and our other officers and directors. 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.
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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 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, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. 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.
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 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, 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 consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in making and managing investments in a similar business, although they may not participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other special purpose acquisition companies with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
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, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
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.”
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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.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On July 4, 2023 and September 29, 2023, our sponsor acquired 100 and 1,437,400 founder shares, respectively, for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, there were 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares issued to our sponsor, of which an aggregate of up to 187,500 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that the number of founder shares will equal 20% of our issued and outstanding Class A and Class B ordinary shares after this offering (excluding private placement shares and representative shares). As such, our sponsor will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares). The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 (or 251,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement units for a purchase price of $2,400,000 in the aggregate or $2,512,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $10.00 per unit. Each private placement unit consists of one ordinary share and one right to receive one-fifth of one ordinary share, upon the completion of our initial business combination. Such rights will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination.
The founder shares are identical to the public shares included in the units being sold in this offering except that (i) holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination, (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, (iii) our sponsor, officers and directors 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 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 if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) (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) and (iv) the founder shares are subject to registration rights.
The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.
Our sponsor will control the election of our Board of Directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, it will elect all of our directors and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsor will own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming it does not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and the representative shares) and approximately 22.3% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (including the private placement shares and the representative shares). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our sponsor, will entitle our sponsor to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and
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articles of association may only be amended by a resolution passed by holders of at least two thirds of our ordinary shares who are eligible to vote and attend and vote in a general meeting of our shareholders. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors 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.
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 of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. 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.
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.
In particular, investors should be aware that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdiction would recognize and enforce judgements of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicted upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States or entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdiction’s courts against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state.
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 process could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
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Risks Relating to Our Securities
[Nasdaq] may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We have applied to have our units listed on [Nasdaq]. We expect that our units will be listed on [Nasdaq] on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date our Class A ordinary shares and rights are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that our Class A ordinary shares and rights will be separately listed on [Nasdaq]. 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 stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with [Nasdaq]’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than [Nasdaq]’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on [Nasdaq]. For instance, our public shares price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our shareholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our securities (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500). 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 expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and rights will be listed on [Nasdaq], our units, Class A ordinary shares, and rights will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on [Nasdaq], our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
The grant of registration rights to our sponsor and holders of our private placement units and representative shares 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 shareholders and their permitted transferees and holders of representative shares can demand that we register the private placement rights, the representative shares, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon
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conversion of the private placement rights, the founder shares, the Class A ordinary shares included in the private placement units, and holders of units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such Class A ordinary shares, rights, or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such rights. 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. 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 private placement units or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution upon the purchase of our ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary shares and none to the rights included in the units) 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 rights included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 79.84% (or $6.65 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $1.68 and the deemed offering price of $8.33 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.
We may amend the terms of the rights in a way that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding rights.
Our rights will be issued in registered form under a rights agreement between [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company], as rights agent, and us. The rights agreement provides that the terms of the rights may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision. The rights agreement requires the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding rights in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.
Our rights 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 rights, which could limit the ability of rights holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our rights 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 rights agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the rights agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our rights shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our rights agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the rights agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the
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Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our rights, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (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 right holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such rights holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such right holder. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a right holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our rights agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Our rights and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing rights convertible into 1,250,000 of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 1,437,500 of our Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), as part of the units offered by this prospectus. Simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing private placement rights convertible into an aggregate of 48,000 (or 50,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of our Class A ordinary shares underlying private placement units in a private placement. Prior to this offering, our sponsor holds an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares in a private placement. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. [In addition, if our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates make any loans prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination.] The units would be identical to the placement units. To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of these rights or conversion of these working capital loans into our securities could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our rights and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
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 rights 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 ordinary shares and rights underlying the units, include:
• the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
• prior offerings of those companies;
• our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;
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• 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.
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Trading in our securities may be prohibited under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor. In that case, [Nasdaq] would delist our securities. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections may deprive our investors with the benefits of such inspections.
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCAA states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or other securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the U.S. On December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“AHFCAA”) was enacted, which amends the HFCAA and requires the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years.
Our current auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this prospectus, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. However, if it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, [Nasdaq] would delist our securities, including our units, ordinary shares, and rights being offered in this offering, and the SEC shall prohibit them from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the U.S. If our securities are delisted and prohibited from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the U.S. due to the PCAOB not being able to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, it would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect the Company’s ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and prospects.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCAA. We will be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies us as having a “non-inspection” year under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC.
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On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions. The SEC may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (i) China, and (ii) Hong Kong. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol with the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (“SOP”), taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB will consider the need to issue a new determination. Our auditor, Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, headquartered in New York, NY, is an independent registered public accounting firm with the PCAOB and has been inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis. The PCAOB currently has access to inspect the working papers of our auditor. Our auditor is not headquartered in China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the determination report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination.
On December 29, 2022, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which, among other things, amended the HFCAA to reduce the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer before the Commission must impose an initial trading prohibition on the issuer’s securities from three years to two years.
The SEC has announced that the SEC staff is preparing a consolidated proposal for the rules regarding the implementation of the HFCAA. It is unclear when the SEC will complete its rulemaking and when such rules will become effective. The SEC has also announced amendments to various annual report forms to accommodate the certification and disclosure requirements of the HFCAA. There could be additional regulatory or legislative requirements or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. The implications of these possible regulations in addition to the requirements of the HFCAA are uncertain, and such uncertainty could cause the market price of our securities to be materially and adversely affected. If, for whatever reason, the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, the Company could be delisted or prohibited from being traded over the counter earlier than would be required by the HFCAA. If our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such delisting and prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect the Company’s ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and prospects.
Inspections of audit firms that the PCAOB has conducted have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. If the PCAOB were unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of the Company’s auditor, investors in our securities would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. In addition, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections or full investigations of auditors would may make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in the audit procedures of our auditor and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
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Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in China
Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to investors and our company.
Certain of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to the PRC. Therefore, we are subject to the risks of uncertainty in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations. The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which legal cases have limited value as precedents. In the late 1970s, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly increased the protections afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector investment in China.
As relevant laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involve uncertainties.
From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems will be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies, and cybersecurity and data privacy protection requirements and similar matters.
Uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and the fact that rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice, along with the risk that the Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers could result in a material change in completion of our initial business combination, our operations and the value of our securities.
The PRC government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we conduct our business activities if we pursue a business combination with a China-based business. The PRC government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas, which could result in a material change in our operations and the value of our securities, and could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
The PRC government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the PRC economy through regulation and state ownership. Our operations and the post-combination entity’s ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to securities, taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese businesses or properties.
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For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2, 2021, that it had begun an investigation of Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later ordered that the company’s app be removed from smartphone app stores. On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly released the Guidelines for Further Easing the Burden of Excessive Homework and Off-campus Tutoring for Students at the Stage of Compulsory Education, pursuant to which foreign investment in such firms via mergers and acquisitions, franchise development, and variable interest entities are banned from this sector.
As such, our operations and post-combination entity’s business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which they operate at any time. The post-combination entity could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. We and our post-combination entity may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. If the PRC government initiates an investigation into us at any time alleging us violation of cybersecurity laws, anti-monopoly laws, and securities offering rules in China in connection with this offering or future business combination, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to comply with the applicable rules, and our business operations will be affected materially and any such action could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
As the date of this prospectus, there are no PRC laws and regulations (including the CSRC, the CAC, or any other government entity) in force explicitly requiring that we obtain permission from PRC authorities for this offering or to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction or any regulatory objection to this offering from any relevant PRC authorities. However, it is uncertain when and whether the we and our post-combination entity will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. stock exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our post-combination entity to material changes in operations, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for certain acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue a business combination with a China-based business.
The M&A Rules adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the anti-monopoly enforcement agency of the State Council (currently the “Anti-Monopoly Bureau of the State Administration for Market Regulation”) shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. On July 1, 2015, the National Security Law of China took effect, which provided that China would establish rules and mechanisms to conduct national security review of foreign investments in China that may impact national security. On March 15, 2019, the PRC National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law of China (the “Foreign Investment Law”), which came into effect on January 1, 2020, reiterates that China will establish a security review system for foreign investments. On December 19, 2020, the NDRC and the MOFCOM jointly issued the Measures for the Security Review of Foreign Investments (the “New FISR Measures”), which was made according to the National Security Law and the Foreign Investment Law and became effective on January 18, 2021. The New FISR Measures further expand the scope of national security review on foreign investment compared to the existing rules, while leaving substantial room for interpretation and speculation.
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In the future, we may pursue a business combination with a China-based business. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM, any other relevant PRC governmental authorities or their respective local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.
Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact our ability to pursue a business combination with a China-based business.
The Foreign Investment Law replaced the trio of prior laws regulating foreign investment in the PRC, namely, the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-Invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations, and became the legal foundation for foreign investment in the PRC from January 1, 2020. Meanwhile, the Implementation Regulation of the Foreign Investment Law and the Measures for Reporting of Information on Foreign Investment came into effect as of January 1, 2020, which clarified and elaborated the relevant provisions of the Foreign Investment Law.
The Foreign Investment Law sets out the basic regulatory framework for foreign investments and proposes to implement a system of pre-entry national treatment with a negative list for foreign investments, pursuant to which (i) foreign entities and individuals are prohibited from investing in the areas that are not open to foreign investments, (ii) foreign investments in the restricted industries must satisfy certain requirements under the law, and (iii) foreign investments in business sectors outside of the negative list will be treated equally with domestic investments. The Foreign Investment Law also sets forth necessary mechanisms to facilitate, protect and manage foreign investments and proposes to establish a foreign investment information reporting system, through which foreign investors or foreign-invested enterprises are required to submit initial report, report of changes, report of deregistration and annual report relating to their investments to the MOFCOM or its local branches. As the Foreign Investment Law is still relatively new, it is unclear how the regulations will be interpreted and implemented by the relevant government authorities.
If, after our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets will be located in China and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations there, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in China as well as litigation and publicity surrounding China-based companies listed in the United States.
Substantially all of our assets may be located in China after our initial business combination. The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of China could affect our business. The economies in Asia differ from the economies of most developed countries in many respects. For the most part, such economies have grown at a rate in excess of the United States; however, (1) such economic growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and (2) 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 consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
We believe that litigation and negative publicity surrounding companies with operations in China that are listed in the United States have negatively impacted stock prices for these companies. Various equity-based research organizations have published reports on China-based companies after examining their corporate governance practices, related party transactions, sales practices and financial statements, and these reports have led to special investigations and listing suspensions on U.S. national exchanges. Any similar scrutiny of our assets and operation, in China, if any, regardless of its lack of merit, could result in a diversion of management resources and energy, potential costs to defend ourselves against rumors, decreases and volatility in the trading price of our securities, and increased directors’ and officers’ insurance premiums and could have an adverse effect upon our business, including our results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and prospects.
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Agreements we may enter into with potential future subsidiaries and affiliated entities or acquisitions of offshore entities that conduct operations through affiliates in the PRC may be subject to a high level of scrutiny by the relevant tax authorities.
Under the laws of the PRC, agreements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the relevant tax authorities. If any of the transactions we enter into with potential future subsidiaries and affiliated entities are found not to be on an arm’s-length basis, or to result in an unreasonable reduction in tax under local law, the relevant tax authorities may have the authority to disallow any tax savings, adjust the profits and losses of such potential future local entities and assess late payment interest and penalties. A finding by the relevant tax authorities that we are ineligible for any such tax savings, or that any of our possible future affiliated entities is not eligible for tax exemptions, would substantially increase our possible future taxes and thus reduce our net income and the value of a shareholder’s investment. In addition, in the event that in connection with an acquisition of an offshore entity that conducted its operations through affiliates in the PRC, the sellers of such entities failed to pay any taxes required under local law, the relevant tax authorities could require us to withhold and pay the tax, together with late-payment interest and penalties. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a negative impact on our operating results and financial condition.
China’s economic, political and social conditions, as well as sudden or unexpected changes in any government policies, laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our business or business combination, and the PRC government may intervene or influence the combined company’s operations at any time.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located in the PRC, a substantial portion of our operations may be conducted in China, and a significant portion of our net revenues may be derived from customers where the contracting entity is located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and any potential business combination and certain transactions we may undertake may be subject, to a significant extent, to economic, political and legal developments in China. For example, as a result of recent proposed changes in the cybersecurity regulations in China that would require certain Chinese technology firms to undergo a cybersecurity review before being allowed to list on foreign exchanges, this may have the effect of further narrowing the list of potential businesses in China’s consumer, technology and mobility sectors that we intend to focus on for our business combination or the ability of the combined company to list in the United States.
China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past two to three decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Demand for target services and products depends, in large part, on economic conditions in China. Any slowdown in China’s economic growth may cause our potential customers to delay or cancel their plans to purchase our services and products, which in turn could reduce our net revenues.
Although China’s economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market oriented economy since the late 1970s, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling the incurrence and payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Changes in any of these policies, laws and regulations could adversely affect the economy in China and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of a PRC company’s business and may intervene with or influence its operations at any time as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. Furthermore, the PRC government has also recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over securities offerings and other capital markets activities that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based companies. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government,
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could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to consummate a business combination with a China-based target business, the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or in extreme cases, become worthless.
The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage foreign investment and sustainable economic growth and to guide the allocation of financial and other resources. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not repeal or alter these measures or introduce new measures that will have a negative effect on us. China’s social and political conditions may change and become unstable. Any sudden changes to China’s political system or the occurrence of widespread social unrest could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Complying with evolving PRC laws and regulations regarding cybersecurity, information security, privacy and data protection and other related laws and requirements may increase the cost of our initial business combination with a China-based business and could even result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination with a China-based business.
If we pursue a business combination with a China-based business, we may face additional burdens in connection with the PRC laws and regulations regarding cybersecurity, information security, privacy and data protection. Regulatory authorities in China have been considering a number of legislative proposals to heighten data protection and cybersecurity regulatory requirements. Since the promulgation of the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which became effective in June 2017, numerous regulations, guidelines and other measures have been and are expected to be adopted under the PRC Cybersecurity Law. In April 2020, the CAC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which requires that operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. On December 28, 2021, the CAC published the Measures for Cybersecurity Review which will become effective on February 15, 2022, which required that any “network platform operator” controlling personal information of no less than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject to cybersecurity review. The PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021, imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals that carry out data activities, provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Personal Information Protection Law (the “PIPL”), which is to take effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL sets out the regulatory framework for handling and protection of personal information and transmission of personal information overseas. If our potential future target business in China involves collecting and retaining internal or customer data, such target might be subject to the relevant cybersecurity laws and regulations, including the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PIPL, and the cybersecurity review before effecting a business combination.
In addition, the Opinions jointly issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council on July 6, 2021 call for strengthened regulation over illegal securities activities and supervision of overseas listings by China-based companies and propose to take effective measures, such as promoting the development of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies. As of the date of this prospectus, no official guidance and related implementation rules have been issued in relation to these recently issued opinions and the interpretation and implementation of the Opinions remain unclear at this stage. We cannot assure you that we will not be required to obtain the pre-approval of the CSRC and potentially other PRC governmental authorities to pursue any business combination with a China-based company.
As a result, we may not be able to complete or obtain the applicable review procedures and pre-approvals in a timely manner, or at all, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target in China and to consummate an initial business combination. This may ultimately result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located in the PRC, the laws applicable to such business will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located in the PRC, the laws applicable to such business will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that we or the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this jurisdiction.
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The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. In addition, the judiciary in the PRC is relatively inexperienced compared to others in enforcing corporate and commercial law, leading to a higher than usual degree of uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation. In addition, to the extent that our target business’s material agreements are with governmental agencies in the PRC, we may not be able to enforce or obtain a remedy from such agencies due to sovereign immunity, in which the government is deemed to be immune from civil lawsuit or criminal prosecution. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
The PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China.
The M&A Rules include, among other things, provisions that purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by special purpose vehicles seeking CSRC’s approval of overseas listings. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules and the CSRC approval requirement to offshore special purpose vehicles.
Moreover, except for emphasizing the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies, the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021, also provides that the State Council will revise provisions regarding the overseas issuance and listing of shares by companies limited by shares and will clarify the duties of domestic regulatory authorities.
On December 24, 2021, the State Council published the draft Administrative Provisions on the Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “Administrative Provisions”), and the CSRC published the draft Measures for Record-filings of the Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “Measures”), for public comment. Pursuant to Article 2 of the Administrative Provisions, domestic enterprises that (i) offer shares, depository receipts, convertible notes or other equity securities overseas, or (ii) list securities on an overseas stock exchange, must complete record-filing procedures and report the relevant information to the CSRC. The CSRC shall determine the record-filing method. Pursuant to the Article 2 of the Measures, domestic enterprises that directly or indirectly offer or list securities on an overseas stock exchange shall file with the CSRC within three business days after submitting their initial public offering and/or listing application documents. The requested filing documents include, but are not limited to: (1) a filing report and related undertakings; (2) regulatory opinions, filing or approval documents issued by the relevant authorities (if applicable); (3) security review opinions issued by the relevant authorities, if applicable; (4) a PRC legal opinion; and (5) a prospectus.
On December 27, 2021, the NDRC and the MOFCOM jointly promulgated the Special Administrative Measure (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2021 Version), or the Negative List, which became effective on January 1, 2022. According to Article 6 of the Negative List, domestic enterprises engaging in businesses in which foreign investment is prohibited shall obtain approval from the relevant authorities before offering and listing their shares on an overseas stock exchange. In addition, certain foreign investors shall not be involved in the operation or management of the relevant enterprise, and shareholding percentage restrictions under relevant domestic securities investment management regulations shall apply to such foreign investors.
On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures, which has come into effect on March 31, 2023. Compared to the Measures, the Trial Administrative Measures further clarified and emphasized several aspects, including: (i) comprehensive determination of the “indirect overseas offering and listing by PRC domestic companies” in compliance with the principle of “substance over form” and particularly, an issuer will be required to go through the filing procedures under the Trial Administrative Measures if the following criteria are met at the same time: a) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year is accounted for by PRC domestic companies, and b) the main parts of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China, or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China; (ii) exemptions from immediate filing requirements
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for issuers that a) have already been listed or registered but not yet listed in foreign securities markets, including U.S. markets, prior to the effective date of the Trial Administrative Measures, and b) are not required to re-perform the regulatory procedures with the relevant overseas regulatory authority or the overseas stock exchange, c) whose such overseas securities offering or listing shall be completed before September 30, 2023. However, such issuers shall carry out filing procedures as required if they conduct refinancing or are involved in other circumstances that require filing with the CSRC; (iii) a negative list of types of issuers banned from listing overseas, such as issuers under investigation for bribery and corruption; (iv) regulation of issuers in specific industries; (v) issuers’ compliance with national security measures and the personal data protection laws; and (vi) certain other matters such as: an issuer must file with the CSRC within three business days after it submits an application for initial public offering to competent overseas regulators; and subsequent reports shall be filed with the CSRC on material events, including change of control or voluntary or forced delisting of the issuer(s) who have completed overseas offerings and listings.
Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations in effect at the time of this prospectus, no prior permission is required under the M&A Rules, the Opinions, the Trial Administrative Measures, or the Negative List from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company, given that our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in Cayman Islands rather than China and currently the company conducts no business in China. However, there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules, the Opinions, or the Trial Administrative Measures will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering or if we decide to consummate the business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. In any such event, these governmental authorities may delay this offering or a potential business combination, impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities.
Our company is a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We currently do not hold any equity interest in any PRC company or operate any business in China. Therefore, we are not required to obtain any permission from any PRC governmental authorities to operate our business as currently conducted. If we decide to consummate our business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company’s business operations in China through its subsidiaries are subject to relevant requirements to obtain applicable licenses from PRC governmental authorities under relevant PRC laws and regulations.
If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, we will be subject to the Trial Administrative Measures if the Company meets the following criteria: (i) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year is accounted for by PRC domestic companies; and (ii) the main parts of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China, or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China; and if required, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete such process on time and receive clearance from CSRC on time, if at all.
On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly and Lawfully Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities to crack down on illegal activities in the securities market and promote the high-quality development of the capital market, which, among other things, requires the relevant governmental authorities to strengthen cross-border oversight of law-enforcement and judicial cooperation, to enhance supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, and to establish and improve the system of extraterritorial application of the PRC securities laws.
On December 24, 2021, the CSRC published the Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comment) (the “Administration Provisions”), and the Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comment) (the “Measures”) for public comments. The Administration Provisions and Measures for overseas listings lay out specific requirements for filing documents and include unified regulation management, strengthening
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regulatory coordination, and cross-border regulatory cooperation. Domestic companies seeking to list abroad must carry out relevant security screening procedures if their businesses involve such supervision. Companies endangering national security are among those off-limits for overseas listings.
According to Relevant Officials of the CSRC Answered Reporter Questions (“CSRC Answers”), after the Administration Provisions and Measures are implemented upon completion of public consultation and due legislative procedures, the CSRC will formulate and issue guidance for filing procedures to further specify the details of filing administration and ensure that market entities could refer to clear guidelines for filing, which means it will still take time to put the Administration Provisions and Measures into effect. On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures, which has come into effect on March 31, 2023. Compared to the Measures, the Trial Administrative Measures further clarified and emphasized several aspects, including: (i) comprehensive determination of the “indirect overseas offering and listing by PRC domestic companies” in compliance with the principle of “substance over form” and particularly, an issuer will be required to go through the filing procedures under the Trial Administrative Measures if the following criteria are met at the same time: a) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year is accounted for by PRC domestic companies, and b) the main parts of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China, or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China; (ii) exemptions from immediate filing requirements for issuers that a) have already been listed or registered but not yet listed in foreign securities markets, including U.S. markets, prior to the effective date of the Trial Administrative Measures, and b) are not required to re-perform the regulatory procedures with the relevant overseas regulatory authority or the overseas stock exchange, c) whose such overseas securities offering or listing shall be completed before September 30, 2023, provided however that such issuers shall carry out filing procedures as required if they conduct refinancing or are involved in other circumstances that require filing with the CSRC; (iii) a negative list of types of issuers banned from listing overseas, such as issuers under investigation for bribery and corruption; (iv) regulation of issuers in specific industries; (v) issuers’ compliance with national security measures and the personal data protection laws; and (vi) certain other matters such as: an issuer must file with the CSRC within three business days after it submits an application for initial public offering to competent overseas regulators; and subsequent reports shall be filed with the CSRC on material events, including change of control or voluntary or forced delisting of the issuer(s) who have completed overseas offerings and listings. According to CSRC Answers and Trial Administrative Measures, if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, we could be subject to the filing process. As the Trial Administrative Measures are newly issued, there remains uncertainty as to how it will be interpreted or implemented. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will be able to receive clearance from the CSRC in a timely fashion, which could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company.
Our company is a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We currently do not hold any equity interest in any PRC company or operate any business in China. Therefore, we believe we are not required to obtain permissions or approvals from any PRC government authorities, including the CSRC or the Cyberspace Administration of China, or any other government entity, to issue our securities to foreign investors and to list on a U.S. exchange or operate our business. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities. However, if we do not maintain applicable permissions or approvals, if we inadvertently concluded that such permissions or approvals are not required, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, and we are denied permission and/or approvals, the relevant PRC government agencies could subject us to a stringent approval process from the relevant government entities in connection with this offering, continued listing on a U.S. exchange, the potential business combination, the issuance of shares or the maintenance of our status as a publicly listed company outside China, and the post business combination entity’s PRC operations if our business combination target is a PRC target company. We may also be subject to registration with the CSRC following this offering pursuant to the Trial Administrative Measures. It is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to continue to list on a U.S. exchange in the future and offer our securities to foreign investors. If we do not maintain applicable permissions or approvals, if we inadvertently concluded that such permissions or approvals are not required, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, including pursuant to the Trial Administrative Measures, and we are denied permission and/or approvals from Chinese authorities to list on
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U.S. exchanges or offer our securities to foreign investors, we may not be able to continue listing on a U.S. exchange or be subject to other severe consequences, which would materially affect the interest of the investors. In addition, any changes in PRC law, regulations, or interpretations may severely affect our operations after this offering. The use of the term “operate” and “operations” includes the process of searching for a target business and conducting related activities. To that extent, we may not be able to conduct the process of searching for a potential target company in China.
We may consummate a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, after which the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will be subject to restrictions on dividend payments.
We may consummate a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China. After such business combination, the combined company may rely on dividends and other distributions from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company to provide it with cash flow and to meet its other obligations. These dividends or other distributions to be paid by the PRC subsidiaries arise from the combined company’s entitlements to substantially all of the economic benefits of the PRC subsidiaries. Current regulations in China would permit the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends only out of their accumulated distributable profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries in China will be required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits each year to fund their respective statutory reserves (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of their respective registered capital). Such cash reserve may not be distributed as cash dividends. Each of the PRC subsidiaries as a foreign invested enterprise is also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at its discretion. In addition, if the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make payments to the combined company or its PRC subsidiaries, as applicable. Further, the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC resident enterprises are incorporated.
In addition, we may be subject to restrictions on currency exchange as the PRC government may limit or eliminate our ability to utilize cash generated in Renminbi, or RMB to fund our business activities outside of the PRC or pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our securities, and may limit our ability to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing. Exchange controls that exist in the PRC may restrict or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to acquire a target company in PRC and limit our ability to utilize our cash flow effectively following our initial business combination. PRC regulation on loans to, and direct investment in, a PRC subsidiary by offshore holding companies and governmental control in currency conversion may restrict our ability to make loans to or capital contributions to a PRC subsidiary, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
These restrictions will restrict our ability to distribute earnings from our businesses, including subsidiaries, to the parent company and U.S. investors as well as the ability to settle amounts owed under contractual agreements. In addition, fluctuations in exchange rates could result in foreign currency exchange losses to us and may reduce the value of, and amount in U.S. Dollars of dividends payable on, our shares in foreign currency terms.
To date, we have not pursued an initial business combination and there have not been any capital contributions or shareholder loans by us to any PRC entities, we do not yet have any subsidiaries, and we have not received, declared or made any dividends or distributions.
Exchange controls that exist in the PRC may restrict or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to acquire a target company in the PRC and limit our ability to utilize our cash flow effectively following our initial business combination.
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC, or SAFE, promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or Circular 19, effective on June 1, 2015. Circular 19 regulates the use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company.
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Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments in the PRC. However, Circular 19 states that RMB converted from foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. As a result, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in the PRC.
SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016. Circular 16 reiterates some of the rules in Circular 19. However, Circular 16 also changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties.
As such, Circular 19 and Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer the proceeds of this offering to a PRC target company and the use of such proceeds by the PRC target company. In addition, following our initial business combination with a PRC target company, we will be subject to the PRC’s rules and regulations on currency conversion. In the PRC, the SAFE regulates the conversion of the Renminbi into foreign currencies. Currently, Foreign Invested Enterprises (“FIEs”) are required to apply to the SAFE for “Foreign Exchange Registration Certificates for FIEs.” Following our initial business combination, we will likely be an FIE as a result of our ownership structure. With such registration certificates, which need to be renewed annually, FIEs are allowed to open foreign currency accounts including a “basic account” and “capital account.” Currency conversion within the scope of the “basic account,” such as remittance of foreign currencies for payment of dividends, can be effected without requiring the approval of the SAFE. However, conversion of currency in the “capital account,” including capital items such as direct investment, loans and securities, still require approval of the SAFE.
We cannot assure you the PRC regulatory authorities will not impose further restrictions on the convertibility of the Renminbi. Any future restrictions on currency exchanges may limit our ability to use the proceeds of this offering in an initial business combination with a PRC target company and the use our cash flow for the distribution of dividends to our shareholders or to fund operations we may have outside of the PRC.
The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. Thus, 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 share in the open market.
Nonetheless, the funds held in our trust account are not held in China, they are held in U.S. dollars in the United States with [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] and therefore shareholder redemption rights would not be impacted.
Governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in China to utilize their revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We may consummate a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, after which the operating companies in China upon consummation of the business combination may receive substantially all of their revenues in Renminbi. Under the expected corporate structure, the combined company, a Cayman Islands holding company, may rely on dividend payments from its PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements it may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments in foreign currencies of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approvals of the SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approvals of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of PRC operating companies in China may be used to pay dividends. However, approvals from or registration with appropriate government authorities are required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currencies and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies.
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As a result, the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will need to obtain the SAFE approval to pay off their debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to any entities outside China or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi.
In light of the flood of capital outflows of China in 2016 due to the weakening Renminbi, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny over major outbound capital movements including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting process have been put in place by SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions that fall under the capital account transactions. The PRC government may in the future at its discretion further restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control regulations prevent the combined company from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies from its PRC subsidiaries to satisfy its capital demands, the combined company may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to its shareholders. Any future restrictions on currency exchanges may limit our ability to use the proceeds of this offering in an initial business combination with a PRC target company and the use of our cash flow for the distribution of dividends to our shareholders or to fund operations we may have outside of the PRC.
If we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent the combined company from using the proceeds from the business combination to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to its PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect PRC operating companies’ liquidity and ability to fund the operations.
If we acquire a target business based in and operating in China, the combined company may be an offshore holding company conducting its operations in China through its PRC subsidiaries. The combined company may make loans or additional capital contributions to its PRC subsidiaries, or the combined company may establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries. Most of these activities are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example, loans by the combined company to the PRC entity to finance its activities cannot exceed the difference between their respective total project investment amount and registered capital or 2.5 times of their net worth and capital contributions to our PRC entity will be subject to the requirement of making necessary filings in the Foreign Investment Comprehensive Management Information System and registration with other governmental authorities in China.
The SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or Circular 19, effective on June 1, 2015, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, the Notice from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Exchange Businesses, and the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign Exchange Businesses. According to SAFE Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of bank loans that have been transferred to a third party. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within the PRC, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Thus, it is unclear whether the SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in the PRC in actual practice. The SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to grant loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from this offering, to our PRC entity, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in the PRC.
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In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies, and the fact that the PRC government may at its discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC entity or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC entity. If we merge with a China-based operating company, and if we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds from this offering and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
As a result of the M&A Rules implemented on September 8, 2006 relating to acquisitions of assets and equity interests of Chinese companies by foreign persons, it is expected that acquisitions will take longer and be subject to economic scrutiny by the PRC government authorities such that we may not be able to complete a transaction.
On September 8, 2006, the MOFCOM, together with several other government agencies, promulgated a comprehensive set of regulations governing the approval process by which a Chinese company may participate in an acquisition of its assets or its equity interests and by which a Chinese company may obtain public trading of its securities on a securities exchange outside the PRC. Although there was a complex series of regulations in place prior to September 8, 2006 for approval of Chinese enterprises that were administered by a combination of provincial and centralized agencies, the new regulations have largely centralized and expanded the approval process to the MOFCOM, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC), the SAFE or its branch offices, the State Asset Supervision and Administration Commission, and the CSRC. Depending on the structure of the transaction as determined once a definitive agreement is executed, these regulations will require the Chinese parties to make a series of applications and supplemental applications to the aforementioned agencies, some of which must be made within strict time limits and depending on approvals from one or the other of the aforementioned agencies. The application process has been supplemented to require the presentation of economic data concerning a transaction, including appraisals of the business to be acquired and evaluations of the acquirer which will permit the government to assess the economics of a transaction in addition to the compliance with legal requirements. If obtained, approvals will have expiration dates by which a transaction must be completed. Also, completed transactions must be reported to the MOFCOM and some of the other agencies within a short period after closing or be subject to an unwinding of the transaction. It is expected that compliance with the regulations will be more time-consuming than in the past, will be more costly for the Chinese parties and will permit the government much more extensive evaluation and control over the terms of the transaction. Subsequent to the promulgation of the Foreign Investment Law and the relevant implementation rules and regulations, some of the provisions have been replaced or repealed, but there is uncertainty in interpretation and implementation. Therefore, a business combination we propose may not be able to be completed because the terms of the transaction may not satisfy aspects of the approval process and may not be completed, even if approved, if they are not consummated within the time permitted by the approvals granted.
Because the M&A Rules permit the government agencies to have scrutiny over the economics of an acquisition transaction and require consideration in a transaction to be paid within stated time limits, we may not be able to negotiate a transaction that is acceptable to our shareholders or sufficiently protect their interests in a transaction.
The regulations have introduced aspects of economic and substantive analysis of the target business and the acquirer and the terms of the transaction by the MOFCOM and the other governing agencies through submissions of an appraisal report, an evaluation report and the acquisition agreement, all of which form part of the application for approval, depending on the structure of the transaction. The regulations also prohibit a transaction at an acquisition price obviously lower than the appraised value of the Chinese business or assets. The regulations require that in certain transaction structures, the consideration must be paid within strict time periods, generally not in excess of a year. In asset transactions there must be no harm of third parties and the public interest in the allocation of assets and liabilities being assumed or acquired. These aspects of the regulations will limit our ability to negotiate various terms of the acquisition, including aspects of the initial consideration, contingent consideration, holdback provisions, indemnification provisions and provisions relating to the assumption and allocation of assets and liabilities. Transaction structures involving trusts, nominees and similar entities are prohibited. Therefore, we may not be able to negotiate a transaction with terms that will satisfy our investors and protect our shareholders’ interests in an acquisition of a Chinese business or assets.
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PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our ability to inject capital in our Chinese subsidiaries and Chinese subsidiaries’ ability to change their registered capital or distribute profits to the combined company or otherwise expose it or its PRC resident beneficial owners to liability and penalties under PRC laws.
In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities as well as foreign individuals that are deemed as PRC residents for foreign exchange administration purpose) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future.
Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, will be required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its filed registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change, including, among other things, any major change of a PRC resident shareholder, name or term of operation of the SPVs, or any increase or reduction of the SPVs’ registered capital, share transfer or swap, merger or division. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE. If any PRC shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the previously filed registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiary in China. On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound overseas direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE or its branches. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.
We cannot provide assurance that our shareholders that are PRC residents at all times comply with, or in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE Circular 37 or other related rules. Failure or inability of the combined company’s PRC resident shareholders to comply with the registration procedures set forth in these regulations may subject the combined company to fines and legal sanctions, restrict its cross-border investment activities, limit the ability of its wholly foreign-owned subsidiary in China to distribute dividends and the proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, and the combined company may also be prohibited from injecting additional capital into the subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the various foreign exchange registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for circumventing applicable foreign exchange restrictions. As a result, the combined company’s business operations and the combined company’s ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, as these foreign exchange regulations are still relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in China.
Future developments in U.S. laws may restrict our ability or willingness to complete certain business combinations with companies. For instance, the recently enacted the HFCAA would restrict our ability to consummate a business combination with a target business unless that business met certain standards of the PCAOB and would require delisting of a company from U.S. national securities exchanges if the PCAOB is unable to inspect its public accounting firm for
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three consecutive years. The HFCAA also requires public companies to disclose, among other things, whether they are owned or controlled by a foreign government, specifically, those based in China. In addition, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCAA and require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years, thus reducing the time period before our securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted.
We may not be able to consummate a business combination with a favored target business due to these laws. Even if we were successful in consummating a business combination, we may be required to delist from [Nasdaq], which would severely impact the price of our securities. Furthermore, the documentation we may be required to submit to the SEC proving certain beneficial ownership requirements and establishing that we are not owned or controlled by a foreign government in the event that we use a foreign public accounting firm not subject to inspection by the PCAOB or where the PCAOB is unable to completely inspect or investigate our accounting practices or financial statements because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction could be onerous and time consuming to prepare.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCAA. An identified issuer will be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies it as having a “non-inspection” year under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC. On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCAA. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (i) China, and (ii) Hong Kong. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB will consider the need to issue a new determination. Our auditor is located in the United States and inspected by the PCAOB. However, if it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction (including, without limitation, PRC government), we will be required by the HCFAA and, if enacted, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, to delist from [Nasdaq] because the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections on such auditor, and our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by the time of such potential delisting, then such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with a potential delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our securities.
Additionally, other developments in U.S. laws and regulatory environment, including but not limited to executive orders such as Executive Order (E.O.) 13959, “Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies,” may further restrict our ability to complete a business combination with certain China-based businesses.
General Risks Related to Our Business
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated company 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.
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Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, we had a working capital deficit of $333,076 and $217,227, respectively. 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 need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or rights, potentially at a loss.
Our public 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 rights, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of some other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement units and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per public share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), 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
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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 $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, 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 $10.00 per public share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full six months, as described in more detail in this prospectus). 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 vendors and prospective target businesses.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and 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 petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our Board of Directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third
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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.
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 U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of [185] days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting 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 $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless.
There is currently uncertainty concerning the applicability of the Investment Company Act to a special purpose acquisition company, like us, and we may in the future be subject to a claim that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company. Since the assets in our trust account will be securities, there is nevertheless a risk that we could be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company under the Investment Company Act. In addition, if we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we are found to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we could be required to materially restructure our activities, wind down our operations, or register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete an initial business combination, force us to abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination or result in our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination or are required to liquidate, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights will expire worthless. As a result, our public shareholders will lose the investment opportunity in a target company and any price appreciation in the combined company. While we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act, if any facts and circumstances change over time which would materially impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company, we will update our disclosure to reflect such changes.
The longer that the funds in the trust account are held in short-term U.S. government securities or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, the greater the risk that we may be considered an unregistered investment company, in which case we may be required to liquidate.
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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, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
The SEC has issued proposed rules relating to certain activities of special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”). Certain of the procedures that we, a potential business combination target, or others may determine to undertake in connection with such proposals may increase our costs and the time needed to complete our initial business combination and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination. The need for compliance with the SPAC Rule Proposals may cause us to liquidate the funds in the Trust Account or liquidate our company at an earlier time than we might otherwise choose.
On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules (the “SPAC Rule Proposals”) relating, among other items, to disclosures in business combination transactions between SPACS such as us and private operating companies; the condensed financial statement requirements applicable to transactions involving shell companies; the use of projections by SPACs in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination transactions; the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, including a proposed rule that would provide SPACs a safe harbor from treatment as an investment company if they satisfy certain conditions that limit a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose and activities. The SPAC Rule Proposals have not yet been adopted, and may be adopted in the proposed form or in a different form that could impose additional regulatory requirements on SPACs. Certain of the procedures that we, a potential business combination target, or others may determine to undertake in connection with the SPAC Rule Proposals, or pursuant to the SEC’s views expressed in the SPAC Rule Proposals, may increase the costs and time of negotiating and completing an initial business combination, and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination. The need for compliance with the SPAC Rule Proposals may cause us to liquidate the funds in the Trust Account or liquidate our company at an earlier time than we might otherwise choose.
The excise tax included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 may decrease the value of our securities following our initial business combination, hinder our ability to consummate an initial business combination, and decrease the amount of funds available for distribution in connection with a liquidation.
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which, among other things, imposes a 1% excise tax on the fair market value of stock repurchased by a domestic corporation beginning in 2023, with certain exceptions (the “Excise Tax”). Because there is a possibility that we may acquire a U.S. domestic corporation or engage in a transaction in which a domestic corporation becomes our parent or our affiliate and our securities will trade on [Nasdaq] following the date of this prospectus, we may become a “covered corporation” within the meaning of the Inflation Reduction Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, and while not free from doubt, it is possible that the Excise Tax will apply to any redemptions of our ordinary shares after December 31, 2022, including redemptions in connection with an initial business combination and any amendment to our certificate of incorporation to extend the time to consummate an initial business combination, unless an exemption is available. Consequently, the value of your investment in our securities may decrease as a result of the Excise Tax. In addition, the Excise Tax may make a transaction with us less appealing to potential business combination targets, and thus, potentially hinder our ability to enter into and consummate an initial business combination. Further, the application of the Excise Tax in the event of a liquidation is uncertain, and the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to the Excise Tax, in which case the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced. Except for franchise taxes and income taxes, the proceeds placed in the trust account and the interest earned thereon shall not be used to pay for possible excise tax or any other fees or taxes that may be levied on the Company pursuant to any current, pending or future rules or laws, including without limitation any excise tax due under the Inflation Reduction Act on any redemptions or stock buybacks by the Company.
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We face risks related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and any other conflicts that may arise on a global or regional scale which may adversely affect the business and results of operations of the post-combination entity.
On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched an invasion of Ukraine that has had an immediate impact on the global economy resulting in higher energy prices and higher prices for certain raw materials and goods and services which in turn is contributing to higher inflation in the United States and other countries across the globe with significant disruption to financial markets and supply and distribution chains for certain raw materials and goods and services on an unprecedented scale. The impact of the sanctions has also included disruptions to financial markets, an inability to complete financial or banking transactions, restrictions on travel and an inability to service existing or new customers in a timely manner in the affected areas of Europe. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has continued to escalate without any resolution of the invasion foreseeable in the near future with the short and long-term impact on financial and business conditions in Europe remaining highly uncertain.
The U.S. and the European Union responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by imposing various economic sanctions on the Russian Federation to which the Russian Federation has responded in kind. The United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia and other countries across the globe have imposed their own sanctions on the Russian Federation. The United States, the European Union and such other countries acting together or separately could impose wider sanctions or take further actions against the Russian Federation if the conflict continues to escalate. Multinational corporations and other corporations and businesses with business and financial ties to the Russian Federation have either reduced or eliminated their ties to the Russian Federation in a manner that often exceeds what is required pursuant to sanctions by these countries.
Further, the Russian Federation’s cyberattacks and other action may impact businesses across the United States, the European Union and other nations across the globe including those without any direct business ties to the Russian Federation.
In addition, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas that broke out in October 2023 could also disrupt the world economy and increase trade tensions. The conflict could lead to fluctuations in energy prices and affect the macroeconomic policies of the major economies. Economic activities related to this region could also be adversely impacted.
It is uncertain if the post-combination entity’s business, operation, or financial conditions could be materially impacted in the event of a downturn in the worldwide economy resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and other conflicts with a global impact.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and 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 trust account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offense and may be liable to a fine and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with [Nasdaq] corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on [Nasdaq]. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual general meetings or general meetings to elect directors. Until we hold an annual meeting of shareholders, 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 election of directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination.
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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 holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who, being entitled to do so, attend and vote in a general meeting, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-initial business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of our shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shareholders. [Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of units into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public 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), may be amended if approved by holders of at least [two-thirds] of our ordinary shares who, being entitled to do so, 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 [two-thirds] of our ordinary shares.] Should our insiders vote all their shares in favor of any such amendment, such amendment would not be approved regardless how public shares are voted. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our insiders, which will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares and assuming our insiders do not purchase units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
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, and directors, the registration rights agreement among us and our sponsor and the administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to 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 taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on [Nasdaq]. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our Board of Directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
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We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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 December 31 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following June 30. 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.
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 [September 30, 2024]. 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 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.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and some of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, 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. Our corporate affairs and the rights of shareholders 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
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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 not clearly established as what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the U.S. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the U.S., 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.
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the memorandum and articles of association and any special resolutions passed by such companies, and the register of mortgages and charges of such companies) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to completion of this offering to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to any corporate governance matter. However, if we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of our board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Securities — Certain Differences in Corporate Law.”
Because some of our executive officers, and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
Some of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China. Dr. Fen Zhang, our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman, is a Canadian citizen but currently resides in China for business purposes. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or such persons, or to enforce against them or against us, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. Even with proper service of process, the enforcement of judgments obtained in U.S. courts or foreign courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws would be extremely difficult. Furthermore, there would be added costs and issues with bringing an original action in foreign courts to enforce liabilities based on the U.S. federal securities laws against us or our officers and directors, and they still may be fruitless.
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 ordinary shares and could entrench management.
[Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include two-year director terms 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.]
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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 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.
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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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the U.S. and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the U.S.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would:
• recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws; and
• entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
There is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the Cayman Islands will in certain circumstances recognize and enforce a foreign judgment, without any re-examination or re-litigation of matters adjudicated upon, provided such judgment:
(a) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction;
(b) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given;
(c) is final;
(d) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty;
(e) was not obtained by fraud; and
(f) is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands.
Subject to the above limitations, in appropriate circumstances, a Cayman Islands court may give effect in the Cayman Islands to other kinds of final foreign judgments such as declaratory orders, orders for performance of contracts and injunctions.
In addition, Dr. Fen Zhang, our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman, is a Canadian citizen but currently resides in China for business purposes. China has no arrangement for the reciprocal enforcement of judgments with the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or such persons, or to enforce against them or against us, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. Even with proper service of process, the enforcement of judgments obtained in U.S. courts or foreign courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws would be extremely difficult. Furthermore, there would be added costs and issues with bringing an original action in foreign courts to enforce liabilities based on the U.S. federal securities laws against us or our officers and directors, and they still may be fruitless.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 5,000,000 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 private placement units 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) | | $ | 50,000,000 | | | $ | 57,500,000 | |
Gross proceeds from private placement units offered in the private placement | | $ | 2,400,000 | | | $ | 2,512,500 | |
Total gross proceeds | | $ | 52,400,000 | | | $ | 60,012,500 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Offering expenses(2) | | | | | | | | |
Underwriting commissions (1.5% of gross proceeds from units offered to public) | | $ | 750,000 | | | $ | 862,500 | |
Legal fees and expenses | | | 275,000 | | | | 275,000 | |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | 50,000 | | | | 50,000 | |
SEC/FINRA Expenses | | | 18,296 | | | | 18,296 | |
Reimbursement to underwriters for expenses | | | 125,000 | | | | 125,000 | |
[Nasdaq] listing and filing fees | | | 50,000 | | | | 50,000 | |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | 40,000 | | | | 40,000 | |
Miscellaneous(3) | | | 91,704 | | | | 91,704 | |
Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | | $ | 650,000 | | | $ | 650,000 | |
Proceeds after offering expenses | | $ | 51,000,000 | | | $ | 58,500,000 | |
Held in trust account | | $ | 50,000,000 | | | $ | 57,500,000 | |
% of public offering size | | | 100.0 | % | | | 100.0 | % |
Not held in trust account(2) | | $ | 1,000,000 | | | $ | 1,000,000 | |
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,000,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account(4).
| | Amount | | % of Total |
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(5) | | $ | 120,000 | | 12.00 | % |
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | | | 50,000 | | 5.00 | % |
[Nasdaq] continued listing fees | | | 62,000 | | 6.20 | % |
Directors and officers’ liability insurance | | | 250,000 | | 25.00 | % |
Payment for office space, admin and support | | | 120,000 | | 12.00 | % |
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses, general corporate purposes, liquidation obligations and reserves | | | 398,000 | | 39.80 | % |
Total | | $ | 1,000,000 | | 100.0 | % |
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Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, $50,000,000 (or $57,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will, upon the consummation 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 or in an interest bearing demand deposit account. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $2.6 million for 12 months, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option and an interest rate of 5.24% 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 and the sale of the private placement units 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 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.
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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 $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services commencing on the effectiveness of this offering. 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 $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The Company drew $229,011 against the promissory note as of December 31, 2023. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of the date on which we determine not to conduct an initial public offering of our securities 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.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. In order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us, [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete 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 the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units.
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 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
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purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
We have determined not to consummate any business combination unless we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation in order to avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. 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 and we are not able to locate an alternative source of funding, we will not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.
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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 and directors [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 and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive 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 the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors 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 and we will only pay such dividend out of our profits or share premium (subject to solvency requirements) as permitted under Cayman Islands Law. 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 capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our sponsor prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares). 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 ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the rights included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus, or the private placement rights, and the pro forma net tangible book value per 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 rights, including the private placement rights, 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 ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding ordinary shares.
At December 31, 2023, our net tangible book value was $(333,076), or approximately $(0.23) per ordinary share assuming the underwriters do not exercise any portion of the over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 187,500 founder shares. For purposes of the dilution calculation, in order to present the maximum estimated dilution as a result of this offering, we have assumed (i) the issuance of 0.2 of a share for each right outstanding, as such issuance will occur upon a business combination without the payment of additional consideration and (ii) the number of shares included in the units offered hereby will be deemed to be 6,000,000 (consisting of 5,000,000 shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and 1,000,000 shares for the outstanding rights), and the price per share in this offering will be deemed to be $8.33. After giving effect to the sale of 5,000,000 ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 5,750,000 ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement units and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value would have been $4,599,066 or $1.68 per share (or $5,054,017 or $1.62 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 5,000,000 ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash, or 5,750,000 ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $1.91 per share (or $1.85 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our sponsor as of the date of this prospectus. Total dilution to public shareholders from this offering will be $6.65 per share (or $6.71 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the rights included in the units or the private placement rights:
| | Without over-allotment | | With over-allotment |
Public offering price | | $ | 8.33 | | | $ | 8.33 | |
Net tangible book value before this offering | | | (0.23 | ) | | | (0.23 | ) |
Increase attributable to public shareholders | | | 1.91 | | | | 1.85 | |
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement units | | | 1.68 | | | | 1.62 | |
Dilution to public shareholders | | $ | 6.65 | | | $ | 6.71 | |
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | | | 79.84 | % | | | 80.56 | % |
The following table sets forth information with respect to our sponsor, the representative shares, the private shareholders and the public shareholders:
| | Shares purchased
| | Total consideration
| | Average price per share |
| | Number | | Percentage | | Amount | | Percentage | |
Initial Shareholders(1) | | 1,250,000 | | 16.15 | % | | $ | 25,000 | | 0.05 | % | | $ | 0.02 |
Representative Shares(2) | | 200,000 | | 2.59 | % | | | — | | — | % | | $ | — |
Private Shareholders(3) | | 288,000 | | 3.72 | % | | | 2,400,000 | | 4.58 | % | | $ | 8.33 |
Public Shareholders(4) | | 6,000,000 | | 77.54 | % | | | 50,000,000 | | 95.37 | % | | $ | 8.33 |
| | 7,738,000 | | 100.00 | % | | $ | 52,425,000 | | 100.00 | % | | | |
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The pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering is calculated as follows:
Numerator: | | Without over-allotment | | With over-allotment |
Net tangible book value before this offering | | (333,076 | ) | | (333,076 | ) |
Plus: Offering costs accrued or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | | 295,932 | | | 295,932 | |
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement units(1) | | 51,000,000 | | | 58,500,000 | |
Less: Over-allotment liability | | (73,927 | ) | | — | |
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to possible redemption | | (46,289,863 | ) | | (53,408,839 | ) |
| | 4,599,066 | | | 5,054,017 | |
| | | | | | |
Denominator: | | | | | | |
Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | | 1,437,500 | | | 1,437,500 | |
Class B ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | | (187,500 | ) | | — | |
Class A ordinary representative shares | | 200,000 | | | 230,000 | |
Class A ordinary shares included in the private placement units | | 240,000 | | | 251,250 | |
Class A ordinary shares underlying the rights included in the private placement units | | 48,000 | | | 50,250 | |
Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered | | 5,000,000 | | | 5,750,000 | |
Class A ordinary shares underlying the rights included units offering | | 1,000,000 | | | 1,150,000 | |
Less: Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | | (5,000,000 | ) | | (5,750,000 | ) |
| | 2,738,000 | | | 3,119,000 | |
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CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at December 31, 2023, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our units in this offering and the private placement units and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
| | As of December 31, 2023 |
| | Actual | | As Adjusted(1) |
Promissory Note – related party(2) | | $ | 229,011 | | | $ | — | |
Over-allotment liability | | | — | | | | 73,927 | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share, 5,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption(3)(4) | | | — | | | | 46,289,863 | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share, 390,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023; 440,000 shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted (excludes up to 5,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption) | | | — | | | | 44 | |
Class B ordinary share, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 1,437,500 and 1,250,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(5) | | | 144 | | | | 125 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 24,856 | | | | 4,661,041 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (62,144 | ) | | | (62,144 | ) |
Total shareholders’ (deficit) equity | | | (37,144 | ) | | | 4,599,066 | |
Total capitalization | | $ | 191,867 | | | $ | 50,962,856 | |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares in a business combination:
• 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 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 units, ordinary shares, and/or rights.
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 December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, we had a working capital deficit of $333,076 and $217,227, respectively. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We 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
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to completion of this offering through contribution from our sponsor of $25,000 to purchase the founder shares and up to $500,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company drew $229,011 and $104,011, respectively, against the promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $650,000 and underwriting commissions of $750,000, and (ii) the sale of the private placement units for a purchase price of $2,400,000 (or $2,512,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $51,000,000 (or $58,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $50,000,000 or ($57,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be deposited into a trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. The remaining $1,000,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $650,000 we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $650,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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) 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.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, 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 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 the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written
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agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, our officers and directors or an affiliate of theirs 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 $120,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $250,000 for director and officer’s liability insurance; $120,000 for office space, administrative and support services; $50,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $62,000 for [Nasdaq] and other regulatory fees; and approximately $398,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses, general corporate purposes, liquidation obligations 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 September 30, 2024. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our 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.
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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 private 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 or in an interest bearing demand deposit account. 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 4, 2023 and September 29, 2023, our sponsor acquired 100 and 1,437,400 founder shares, respectively, to our sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Up to 187,500 of such founder shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. As such, our sponsor will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares). 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 consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares of our sponsor at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares). 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 also pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company drew $229,011 and $104,011, respectively, against the promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of the date on which we determine not to conduct an initial public offering of our securities or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $1,000,000 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. In order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days
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advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete 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 the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We `do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, our officers and directors or an affiliate of theirs 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 has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 units (or 251,250 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit. Each private placement unit will be identical to the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. The private placement units will be sold in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering and any exercise of the over-allotment option, as applicable. Each private placement unit consists of one ordinary share, and one right to receive one-fifth of one ordinary share. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares, private placement shares, private placement rights, or public rights, which will expire worthless if we do not consummate a business combination within the allotted 12-month period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). Our sponsor has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to its private placement shares (i) in connection with the consummation 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the completion of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) and (iii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the completion of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 12-month period (or up to 18 months from the completion of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). However, our sponsor will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by it if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the 12-month period (or up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
[Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our sponsor 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 (including the holders of representative shares), and holders of units 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. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their lock-up restrictions, as described herein. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”]
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 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.
Deferred Offering Costs
We comply with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A — Expenses of Offering. Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, and other costs (including underwriting discounts and commissions) incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
We will account for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (ASC 480). Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) will be classified as a liability instrument and will be measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) will be classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares will be classified as stockholders’ equity. In accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, we will classify the Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption outside of permanent equity as the redemption provisions are not solely within the control of us. Given that the 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold as part of the units in the Proposed Public Offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., rights), the initial carrying value of Class A ordinary shares classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, we have the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes in redemption value as a charge against retained earnings or, in the absence of retained earnings, as a charge against additional paid-in-capital over an expected 12-month period leading up to a Business Combination.
Net Loss per Ordinary Share
Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 187,500 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters.
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, 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 accounting for 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,
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including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. We do not expect the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on our financial statements.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, 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 not conducted any 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.
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PROPOSED BUSINESS
Introduction
We were incorporated on June 13, 2023 as an exempted company with limited liability. We chose to incorporate in the Cayman Islands due to (i) its tax-neutrality, which allows international transactions to be structured efficiently without an additional layer of tax and (ii) simplicity of establishment and flexibility of administration, including easy migration to another jurisdiction, the existence of statutory procedures for merger or consolidation, and no takeover code or bespoke public company filing requirements.
We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic location but will initially focus in Asia. We may consummate a business combination with an entity located in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). Further, due to the fact that a majority of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China-or non-Hong Kong-based target companies, and such perception may potentially limit or negatively impact our search for an initial business combination or may therefore make it more likely for us to consummate a business combination with a company based in or having the majority of its operations in the PRC and/or Hong Kong.
Our management team has an extensive track record of creating value for shareholders by acquiring strong businesses at disciplined valuations, investing in growth while fostering financial discipline and ultimately improving financial results. Our team consists of experienced entrepreneurs, investment banking, financial services, capital market professionals, senior operating executives, and managers of international companies. We believe we will benefit from their accomplishments, and specifically their current activities in the Asian market, in identifying attractive acquisition opportunities.
Competitive Advantages
We seek to create compelling shareholder value through the extensive experience and demonstrated success of our management team (in particular, our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman) in investing in, operating and transforming businesses, with a particular combination of competitive advantages such as:
• Leadership of an Experienced Management Team and Board of Directors
Our management team is led by our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our Board of Directors, Dr. Fen Zhang, and our Independent Directors, Dr. M. Anthony Wong, Ms. Lauren Simmons and Kevin McKenzie.
Dr. Fen Zhang, Ph.D., our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman, has been at Hercules Capital Group as a founding partner since August 2021, being in charge of the large scale alternative financing solutions for major commercial endeavors. Dr. Zhang has over a decade of experiences in investment banking and fund management industries involved in initial public offering and other capital markets transactions in the U.S., Canada, mainland China and Hong Kong, with over 20 years accomplished industrial experiences and connections with the world’s top leading financial institutions, investment banks, funds and accredited investors. Dr. Zhang holds an MBA in finance and a Ph.D. degree in materials engineering from Queen’s University in Canada, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tsinghua University in China.
Dr. M. Anthony Wong, our director nominee, will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Dr. Wong is head of international equities division at Red Solar Capital Ltd. He started his career as a faculty member of the MIT Sloan School of Management, and was a founding member of the MIT Media Lab and MIT Statistics Center. In recent years, Dr. Wong has focused his professional efforts on assisting international high-tech commercial projects in their alignment with the capital markets of Hong Kong and the United States. Dr. Wong holds a Ph.D. degree in statistics & data science from Yale University.
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Ms. Lauren Simmons, our director nominee, will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Ms. Simmons is an equity trader who started her career in finance in May of 2017 with Rosenblatt Securities on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stemming from her financial knowledge and ability to quickly build relationships in financial markets, Ms. Simmons has built a broad network in private and public financial and consumer markets. Specifically, Ms. Simmons’ commentary, experience as an equities trader, combined with her market and experiential insights has led to her success as a brand leader for women in finance. Ms. Simmons holds a B.S. in Psychology from Kennesaw State University and concentrated her undergraduate studies in genetics and statistics.
Kevin McKenzie, our director nominee, will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Mr. McKenzie has over 20 years of global private equity experience in leading firms in the market. He has extensive experience in the development and implementation of strategic plans to increase the value of companies for their shareholders. Mr. McKenzie has worked in a multicultural environment during his career and has built relationships with large-scale global partners. Mr. McKenzie holds an MBA in finance from Wharton Business School and an M.A. degree in Management & International Studies degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
• Established Deal Sourcing Network
We believe our management team’s strong track record will provide us with access to high quality companies. In addition, we believe we, through our management team, have contacts and sources from which to generate acquisition opportunities and possibly seek complementary follow-on business arrangements. These contacts and sources include private equity and venture capital sponsors, family offices, executives of public and private companies, merger and acquisition advisory firms, investment banks, capital markets desks, lenders and other financial intermediaries.
• Status as a Publicly Listed Acquisition Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to prospective target businesses. As a publicly listed company, we will offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering process. We believe that some target businesses will favor this alternative, which we believe is less expensive, while offering greater certainty of execution, than the traditional initial public offering process. During an initial public offering, there are typically underwriting fees and marketing expenses, which would be costlier than a business combination with us. Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is approved by our shareholders (if applicable) and the transaction is consummated, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions that could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would have greater access to capital and additional means of creating management incentives that are better aligned with shareholders’ interests than it would as a private company. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented management staffs.
With respect to the foregoing examples and descriptions, past performance by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. Potential investors should not rely upon the historical record of our management as indicative of future performance.
Some of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States on our company, executive officers and directors, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our company, executive officers and directors.
Acquisition Strategies
We will seek to capitalize on the strength of our management team. Our team consists of experienced [financial services, accounting and legal professionals and senior operating executives of companies operating in multiple jurisdictions]. Collectively, our officers and directors have decades of experience in mergers and acquisitions and operating companies. We believe we will benefit from their accomplishments, and specifically, their current activities, in identifying attractive acquisition opportunities. However, there is no assurance that we will complete a business combination. Our officers and directors have no prior experience consummating a business combination for a “blank check” company. We believe that we will add value to these businesses primarily by providing them with access to the U.S. capital markets.
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There is no restriction in the geographic location of targets we can pursue, although we intend to initially prioritize Asia. In particular, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination on private companies in Asia that have compelling economics and clear paths to positive operating cash flow, significant assets, and successful management teams that are seeking access to the U.S. public capital markets. We may consummate a business combination with an entity located in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).
As an emerging market, Asia has experienced significant growth. The Asian economy experienced sustained expansion in recent years. We believe that Asia is entering a new era of economic growth, which we expect will result in attractive initial business combination opportunities for us. We believe the growth will primarily be driven by private sector expansion, technological innovation, increasing consumption by the middle class, structural economic and policy reforms and demographic changes.
We believe the development of private equity and venture capital activities in Asia also provides us opportunities. According to the Asia-Pacific Private Equity Report 2023 issued by Bain & Company, despite the slower economic growth, certain sectors, including advanced manufacturing and energy and resources, had more deals in 2022. In addition, the report states that “growing embrace of ESG considerations has boosted interest in renewable energy companies.” The report also notes that China’s growth rate “is likely to accelerate in 2023 as it emerges from a period of Covid-related setbacks and key economic sectors rebound.” We believe that Asia is entering a new era of economic development, which we expect will result in attractive initial business combination opportunities for us. We believe such development will primarily be driven by technological innovation, structural economic and policy reforms and demographic changes.
Acquisition Criteria
Our management team intends to focus on creating shareholder value by leveraging its experience in the management, operation and financing of businesses to improve the efficiency of operations while implementing strategies to scale revenue organically and/or through acquisitions. In addition to the factors listed above, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines, which we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we see justification to do so.
• Resilient Business Model. We intend to seek target companies that have a resilient business model. Such companies are better positioned to adapt to changing market conditions and consumer preferences, which could provide a competitive advantage.
• Industry Leadership with Sustainable Competitive Advantage. We expect to focus on companies that are or have the potential to become leaders in its verticals. We will look for companies with higher operating efficiency, stronger brand recognition, broader distribution channels or any other characteristic that enable the company to achieve long-term competitive proposition.
• Revenue and Earnings Growth Potential. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that have the potential for significant revenue and earnings growth through a combination of both existing and new product development, increased production capacity, expense reduction and synergistic follow-on acquisitions resulting in increased operating leverage. We expect such businesses to provide promising risk-adjusted return for our shareholders.
• Benefit from Being a Public Company. We intend to acquire a business or businesses with organic and inorganic growth potential that can benefit from being publicly traded and effectively utilize access to broader sources of capital and a public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company.
This criteria does not intend 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 sponsor and management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into an initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.
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Initial Business Combination
[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 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 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. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination.
We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial shareholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that we do not complete a business combination. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units.
If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of interest that may be used by us to pay our taxes payable and for 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 as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.00 per public share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option) (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per share in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full six months), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors, which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
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
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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 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.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
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, venture capital, funds leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have significant 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. 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, the requirement that, so long as our securities are listed on [Nasdaq], we acquire a target business or businesses having a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned and less any interest earned thereon that is released to us for taxes) at the time of the agreement to enter into the business combination, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights, and our outstanding rights and the potential future dilution they represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.
If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.
Our Investment Process
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 and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital planning experience. Due to the relationships among our sponsor, management team and their respective affiliates, we believe that we will have the capacity to appropriately source opportunities, and to conduct critical business, financial and other analyses of prospective target businesses ourselves, and accordingly, relative to other blank check companies, we believe we have less reliance on unaffiliated third parties to provide such key elements of the investment process.
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 pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, 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
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such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. 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. See “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets
We believe that the operational and transactional experience of our management team and their respective affiliates, and the relationships they have developed as a result of such experience, will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. These individuals and entities have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. This network has grown through sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and experience in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions. We believe that these networks of contacts and relationships will provide us important sources of investment opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest noncore assets or divisions.
Our acquisition criteria, due diligence processes and value creation methods 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 may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
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 opinion from an independent investment banking firm, another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or from an independent accounting firm 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.
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 pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. All of our officers currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
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Other Acquisition Considerations
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and/or private 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.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for 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 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 $1.235 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 September 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $1,000,000, 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.
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 private 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.
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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
[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 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 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 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.
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.
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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 consummating 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 key personnel 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 officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
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.
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 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.
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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, 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. There is no limit on the number of shares such persons may purchase, subject to compliance with applicable law and [Nasdaq] rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors 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 consummation of this offering, we will 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, advisors 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 could 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 Class A 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, advisors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our 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, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors 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
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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, advisors 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 Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (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 $10.00 per public share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per unit in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). Our sponsor, officers and directors [have entered into] a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder 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 shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under [Nasdaq] rules, asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our 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 [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.
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 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.
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.
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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 a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors [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 22.3% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (including the private placement shares and the representative shares and assuming our insiders do not purchase units in this offering) 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 and directors 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 and public shares in connection with the completion of a business combination.
We have determined not to consummate any business combination unless we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation in order to avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares redeemed) and may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.
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 will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to 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 sponsor, officers and directors [have agreed], pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, to waive 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.
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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. 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 $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the 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 shareholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the shareholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
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Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial business combination
We will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 12-month period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 $50,000 of interest to pay 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 each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our public rights or private placement rights, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 12-month time period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
Our sponsor, officers and directors [have entered] into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). However, if our sponsor acquires 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 12-month time period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
Our 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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.
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 $1,000,000 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 such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00 (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per unit in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. 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.
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Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), 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 vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in 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) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so 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 $10.00 per public share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), 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 $1,000,000 from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, 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 $50,000). 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 $650,000, 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 $650,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation 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 and directors [have agreed] to waive any redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
• prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a 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 consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination;
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• if our initial business combination is not consummated within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who, being entitled to do so, attend and vote at a general meeting. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may consummate our initial business combination only if approved by a majority of the ordinary shares voted by our shareholders at a duly held shareholders meeting.
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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
| | 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 consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per unit in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus)), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, 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 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay 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 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). In addition, if enough shareholders redeem their shares so that we are unable to satisfy any applicable closing condition set forth in the definitive agreement related to our initial business combination, or we are unable to maintain net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon the consummation of initial business combination, we will not consummate such business combination. | | 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 | | [Nasdaq] rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the private placement be deposited in a trust account. $50.0 million of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be deposited into a trust account with [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] acting as trustee. | | Approximately $44.3 million 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. |
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| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
Investment of net proceeds | | $50.0 million of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement units 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 or in an interest bearing demand deposit account. | | 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 U.S. |
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 $50,000 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 | | [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 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 rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Maxim informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. | | No trading of the units or the underlying securities would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
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| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
Election to remain an investor | | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, which interest shall be net of taxes payable, upon the consummation 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 a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. | | A 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 45thbusiness 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 |
Business combination deadline | | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further 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 each case 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. |
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| | Terms of Our Offering | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), subject to applicable law. The Company will instruct the Trustee to pay amounts from the trust account directly to redeeming holders. | | 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 |
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 will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect 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. |
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. |
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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, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, 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 will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any officer or director unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. 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 vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, 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.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 899 Ruining Road, Yangguang Binjiang Center, South Building, Unit 808, Shanghai, PRC. The cost for this space is included in the $[10,000] per month fee that we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and 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 one officer. 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 rights under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public auditors.
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
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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 [September 30, 2024] 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 consummation 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 $1.235 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 December 31, 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 and Directors
Our officers and directors are as follows:
Name | | Age | | Title |
Fen Zhang | | 57 | | Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors |
M. Anthony Wong | | 69 | | Director |
Lauren Simmons | | 29 | | Director |
Kevin McKenzie | | 50 | | Director |
Fen Zhang has served as our Chief Executive Office, Chief Financial Officer and Chairman of our Board of Directors since June 2023. He has over a decade of experiences in investment banking and fund management industries involved in initial public offering and other capital markets transactions in the U.S., Canada, mainland China and Hong Kong, with over 20 years accomplished industrial experiences and connections with the world’s leading financial institutions, investment banks, funds and accredited investors.
Dr. Zhang has been working at Hercules Capital Group as a founding partner since August 2021, being in charge of the large scale alternative financing solutions for major commercial endeavors. He served at UBS from July 2019 to August 2021 as the managing director at UBS AG Hong Kong and then transferred to UBS Securities Shanghai office to led the IBD business. He was in charge of the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, or SMIC (0981.HK)’s US$230,000,000 convertible bonds project and US$500,000,000 investment grade debt issuance project, and has won mandates from Tuhu-a global car aftermarket leader backed by Tencent, Dragonfly FM-the top 2 audio app in China, and Keming Noodle (002661.SZ)-one of the largest noodle brands in China, etc. From March 2018 to March 2019, Dr. Zhang was the managing director at the investment banking department of China Merchants Bank International, or CMBI, and the general manager at SinoPharm-CICC Fund, where he successfully closed the fund project with a size of RMB500 million for China Reform Holdings Corporation Ltd, or the CRHC, one of the largest FOF in China, and a RMB10 billion sized joint fund project between CMBI and Shenzhen municipal government. Under his management, the bank achieved three (3) times ROI on the investment of RMB900 million into Yunda Express (002120.SZ), one of the top express parcel delivers in China. From July 2015 to May 2017, Dr. Zhang served at Oriental Fortune Capital, or OFC, as a partner and vice general manager, where he established OFC’s first US$50,000,000 fund and a joint fund between OFC and Chang Hong Group (600839.SS), a top leading manufacturer of television and other household electronics in China. From June 2012 to July 2015, Dr. Zhang served as a global partner at Capital International Private Equity Fund of the Capital Group, or CIPEF, one of the top long term investors in the world and the largest investor in emerging markets in Hong Kong office. During his work at CIPEF, he achieved a high hit rate on deal closings and initialed and carried out various domestic and cross-border large-sized projects. From March 2010 to March 2012, he served at Credit Suisse as a managing director in IBD China team, where as a sector leader, he led the team on several elephant deals such as China Minmetals Resources (1208.HK), China Railway Logistics, Shandong Iron and Steel Group (600022.SS), XGMG, PICC Property and Casualty Company (2328.HK), etc., as well as other projects in large-to-mid-cap IPOs and structured lending and bond issuances. From July 2007 to July 2008, Dr. Zhang served at China International Capital Corporation, or CICC as an executive director, and then at UBS as an executive director in its IBD business sector, where he was responsible for several U.S. and Hong Kong IPO and bond issuance projects as well as reorganization and listing projects. His IPO clients included China Industries Securities (601377.SS), China Spring Airline (601021.SS), Shaangu Power (601369.SS), etc. He also established and developed UBS Shanghai from scratch into a rep office and then evolved into a China CSRC-certified branch. From July 2005 to July 2007, Dr. Zhang served at Deloitte Consulting as an equity partner. He established and managed the Deloitte S&O (strategy and operations consulting) business sector and developed the Deloitte China S&O sector into the first joint venture between Deloitte US and Deloitte China. From May 1995 to July 2005, he served at Bank of Montreal in Toronto of Canada as a senior investment advisor and a senior manager, as well as at China eLabs as a consultant and BearingPoint Management Consulting as a senior manager.
Dr. Zhang holds an MBA in finance and a Ph.D. degree in materials engineering from Queen’s University in Canada, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tsinghua University in China. We believe Dr. Zhang is well qualified to serve on our board of directors and as our chief executive officer because of his extensive experience in evaluating, structuring and negotiating complex transactions, as well as his knowledge and experience in corporate governance for public companies.
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M. Anthony Wong will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Dr. Wong is head of international equities division at Red Solar Capital Ltd. He started his career as a faculty member of the MIT Sloan School of Management, and was a founding member of the MIT Media Lab and MIT Statistics Center. Dr. Wong was one of the earliest quantitative analysts on the Wall Street. He was the author of two financial texts, Fixed Income Arbitrage and Trading and Investing in Bond Options. Dr. Wong was also one of the executives who participated in the establishment of the Morningside Group in Hong Kong in 1993 and has been active in the capital markets since then. In recent years, Dr. Wong has focused his professional efforts on assisting international high-tech commercial projects in their alignment with the capital markets of Hong Kong and the United States.
Dr. Wong holds a Ph.D. degree in statistics & data science from Yale University.
Lauren Simmons will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Ms. Simmons is an equity trader who started her career in finance in May of 2017 with Rosenblatt Securities on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Simmons was recognized by Ebony’s Power 100 list in 2018, as well as by Politico which awarded her as among its Women of Impact in 2018. Since achieving notoriety in 2018, Ms. Simmons has been featured in various media outlets including Forbes, Politico, CNBC, Bloomberg and The Cut. Stemming from her financial knowledge and ability to quickly build relationships in financial markets, Ms. Simmons has built a broad network in private and public financial and consumer markets. Specifically, Ms. Simmons’ commentary, experience as an equities trader, combined with her market and experiential insights has led to her success as a brand leader for women in finance. In particular, Ms. Simmons has built partnerships with Ford, LinkedIn, Express, Champs, Isagenix and Pure Leaf. Ms. Simmons is also a financial contributor to Bloomberg, CNBC, Yahoo Finance and other financial media outlets. She is the author of Make Money Move addressing professional development and finance which is published by HarperCollins. Ms. Simmons has also headlined major events such as Aspen Ideas Festival, Sina Finance in China, Disney’s Dreamers Academy, and keynote at Harvard. Currently, Ms. Simmons is the host of “In her Bag” produced by Springhill productions Lebron James’ company. Ms. Simmons has also launched the podcast Money Moves with Lauren Simmons, a top ranked Spotify Original Podcast. Ms. Simmons currently serves as a director at Oak Woods Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: OAKU). Ms. Simmons was previously a member of the advisory board at Robinhood Markets, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOOD) and a former board member at Consciously Unbiased.
Ms. Simmons holds a B.S. in Psychology from Kennesaw State University and concentrated her undergraduate studies in genetics and statistics. We believe Ms. Simmons is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of the confluence of her practical experience as an advisory board member of Robinhood Markets, Inc., her overall financial and market sophistication, and her broad network of relationships that can be leveraged in connection with our search for an acquisition target.
Kevin McKenzie will become our independent director upon the consummation of this offering. Mr. McKenzie has over 20 years of global private equity experience in leading firms in the market. Mr. McKenzie has served as Chairman and President at Alpex Pharma since 2018, where he oversees the overall operations of the consolidated company and leads its efforts in developing and implementing strategic plans. Mr. McKenzie has also been a senior partner at Riverwest Capital, a private investment firm, since 2011, where he is responsible for the overall management. From 2006 to 2011, Mr. McKenzie was a senior partner at MKW Capital. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. McKenzie served as the vice president of Cerberus Capital Management and was responsible for various aspects of the investment process. From 2001 to 2003, he worked at Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund (MSREF) and participated in a groundbreaking series of distressed debt portfolios sold in China by state-owned banks. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. McKenzie worked at the Bank of China and executed a number of syndicated acquisition bridge and term loan financings. Prior to that, Mr. McKenzie worked at the China office of the Royal Bank of Canada from 1997 to 1998.
Mr. McKenzie holds an MBA in finance from Wharton Business School and an M.A. degree in Management & International Studies degree from the University of Pennsylvania. We believe Mr. McKenzie is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience in private equity investment as well as participation in complex transactions. In addition, we believe Mr. McKenzie’s multicultural exposure can be leveraged in connection with our search for an acquisition target.
Number, Terms of Office and Election of Officers and Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our Board of Directors will consist of [4] members. [The term of office will expire at our first annual general meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.]
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Our officers are elected 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 will provide that our officers may consist of [a Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the Board of Directors].
Holders of our founder shares will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a resolution passed by holders of at least a two thirds of our ordinary shares who are eligible to vote and attend and vote in a general meeting our shareholders.
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 three “independent directors” as defined in the [Nasdaq] listing standards and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board has determined that each of , and are independent directors 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 for services rendered to us. There will be no fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by the company to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, 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 held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on [Nasdaq] through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $[10,000] per month for office space, administrative and support services. Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates. Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The Company had drawn $229,011 and $104,011 against the promissory note as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, respectively. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of the date on which we determine not to conduct an initial public offering of our securities 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.
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.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after 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 consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
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Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a 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 has the composition and responsibilities described below. 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 , and . will serve as chairman of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our Board of Directors has determined that qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
• the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
• pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;
• reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;
• setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors;
• setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
• obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within, the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
• reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
• reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
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 , and . will serve as chairman of the compensation committee. We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
• reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, 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;
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• 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 [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(e)(2) of the [Nasdaq] rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The Board of Directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. In accordance with the [Nasdaq] rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
Subject to compliance with the articles of association, the Board of Directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of shareholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of shareholders). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our articles of association.
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 directorship, 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.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, (i) as a member of the compensation committee or board of directors of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our compensation committee, or (ii) as a member of the compensation committee of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our Board of Directors.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will adopt a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our form of Code of Ethics and our audit committee charter as exhibits 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.”
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Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, our directors owe fiduciary duties to our company, including a duty of loyalty, a duty to act honestly, and a duty to act in good faith in what they consider to be in our best interests. Our directors must also exercise their powers only for a proper purpose. Our directors also have a duty to exercise the skills they actually possess and such care and diligence that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances.
In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as may be amended from time to time. Our company has a right to seek damages against any director who breaches a duty owed to us.
A director may, subject to any separate requirement for audit committee approval under applicable law, the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or the [Nasdaq] Stock Market Listing Rules, or disqualification by the chairman of the relevant board meeting, vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he or she is interested, provided that the nature of the interest of any directors in such contract or transaction is disclosed by him or her at or prior to its consideration and any vote in that matter.
Members of our management team may become an officer or director of another special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act even before we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial 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.”
• Our sponsor, officers and directors [have agreed] to waive their redemption rights with respect to our founder shares and public shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our sponsor, officers and directors [have agreed] to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the rights will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of our initial business combination and (2) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after our initial business combination, 50% of the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement units, private placement shares, private placement rights and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such rights will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and rights following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
• Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
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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 | | Entity | | Entity’s Business | | Affiliation |
Fen Zhang | | Hercules Capital Group | | Business Investment and Financial Advisory | | Partner |
| | Shanghai Lianjie Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd. | | Management Consulting | | Executive Director |
| | | | | | |
M. Anthony Wong | | Red Solar Capital Ltd. | | Financial Services | | Division Head |
| | | | | | |
Lauren Simmons | | Oak Woods Acquisition Corporation | | SPAC | | Director |
| | | | | | |
Kevin McKenzie | | Alpex Pharm S.A. | | Pharmaceutical | | President and Chairman |
| | Riverwest Capital | | Private Investment | | Partner |
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, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
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 or an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors [have agreed], pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder 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 allows us to indemnify our directors, officers and auditors acting in relation to any of our affairs against actions, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses incurred by reason of any act done or omitted in the execution of their duties as our directors, officers and auditors.
Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be adopted upon the closing of this offering, we may indemnify our directors and officers to, among other persons, our Directors and officers from and against all actions, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses which they or any of them may incur or sustain by reason of any act done, concurred in or omitted in or about the execution of their duty or supposed duty in their respective offices or trusts, except such (if any) as they shall incur or sustain through their own fraud or dishonesty. 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 Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
• each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares;
• each of our officers and directors that beneficially own ordinary shares; and
• all our officers and directors as a group.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement rights as these rights are not convertible 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 187,500 founder shares, and that there are 6,690,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
| | Before Offering | | After Offering |
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | | Number of Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | | Number of Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares |
Hercules Capital Management Corp(3) | | 1,437,500 | | 100.0 | % | | 1,490,000 | | 22.3 | % |
Fen Zhang(3) | | 1,437,500 | | 100.0 | % | | 1,490,000 | | 22.3 | % |
M. Anthony Wong | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Lauren Simmons | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
Kevin McKenzie | | — | | — | | | — | | — | |
All executive officers and directors as a group ([4] individuals) | | 1,437,500 | | 100 | % | | 1,490,000 | | 22.3 | % |
Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 units (or 251,250 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,400,000, or $2,512,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit will be identical to the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. The purchase price of the private placement units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account pending our completion of our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares.
Our sponsor and our officers and directors 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.
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Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units
[The founder shares and private placement units, and the securities contained therein, are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that, with certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of our initial business combination and (2) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after our initial business combination, 50% of the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. The lock-up provisions also provide that the private placement units, including the component securities therein, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) in the event of our liquidation prior to our completion of our initial business combination; or (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s operating agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).]
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, representative shares, private placement units, and units that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans (and in each case holders of their component securities, as applicable) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale. [The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On July 4, 2023 and September 29, 2023, our sponsor acquired 100 and 1,437,400 founder shares, respectively, for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. An aggregate of up to 187,500 Class B ordinary shares of the ordinary shares held by our sponsor are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that the number of founder shares will equal 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares after this offering (excluding private placement shares and representative shares). As such, our sponsor will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming it does not purchase units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and representative shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares).
Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 units (or 251,250 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit will be identical to the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. The private placement shares and the private placement rights (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the private placement rights) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by it until the completion of our initial business combination. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares, private placement shares, or private placement rights, which will expire worthless if we do not consummate a business combination within the allotted 12-month period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time).
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, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
As of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company drew $229,011 and $104,011, respectively, against the promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of the date on which we determine not to conduct an initial public offering of our securities or the closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the estimated $1,000,000 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account. The value of our sponsor’s interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extensions to our shareholders for approval or offering our public shareholders redemption rights in connection therewith. In order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of
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the applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.
Up to $1,500,000 of the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units. The terms of such loans by, our sponsor, our officers and directors, or their affiliates, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, our officers and directors or an affiliate of theirs 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 shareholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, representative shares, private placement units, and units that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans (and in each case holders of their component securities, as applicable), 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.
Upon the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our Board of Directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. 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 consummate 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 or an independent accounting firm, 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 to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, 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 $500,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
• Payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of $10,000 per month, for up to 12 months (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support;
• Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and
• Repayment of 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 and repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our sponsor or its affiliates to extend our time period for consummating a business combination, the terms of which (other than as described above) have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units.
• Repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three month extension. (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and either be payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us, [or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit]. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans.
Our audit committee will review all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number 401107) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which have been adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we are authorized to issue 390,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, 100,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, $0.0001 par value each, and 10,000,000 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 ordinary share and one right. Each right entitles the holder thereof to receive one-fifth of one ordinary share upon completion of our initial business combination. We will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of 5 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination.
The Class A ordinary shares and rights comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless Maxim informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and rights commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and rights.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and rights be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering which will include this audited balance sheet, which is anticipated to take place three business days after the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Ordinary Shares
Upon the closing of this offering, 6,690,000 ordinary shares will be issued and outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 187,500 founder shares by our sponsor), including:
• 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering;
• 240,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement units;
• 1,250,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor; and
• 200,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Maxim.
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; provided, that holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a resolution passed by holders of at least two thirds of our ordinary shares who are eligible to vote and attend and vote in a general meeting our shareholders. Unless specified in the Companies Act, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law and pursuant to our amended and restated
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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. Directors are elected for a term of [two] years. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that, after completion of our initial business combination, the holders of more than 50% of the ordinary shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 390,000,000 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.
In accordance with [Nasdaq] corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on [Nasdaq]. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual general meetings or general meetings to elect directors. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (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 $10.00 per public share (subject to increase of up to an additional $0.20 per unit in the event that our sponsor elects to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). Our sponsor, officers and directors [have entered into] a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder 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 will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, 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 a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. 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. 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 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 Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would
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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.
If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our 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 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 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further 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 each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, officers and directors [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 if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time). However, if our sponsor acquires 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 Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination, (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, and (iii) our sponsor, officers and directors [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 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 if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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
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time period and (iii) the founder shares are subject to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, 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 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 shareholder’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need only 1,855,001, or 37.1%, of the 5,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved or 182,501, or 3.65%, of the 5,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming only a quorum is present at such meeting held to vote on our initial business combination) (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 splits, 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 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 or any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us). Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. 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 earlier of (1) six months after the completion of our initial business combination and (2) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after our initial business combination, 50% of the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
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 of the company and a statement of the shares held by each member, which:
(i) distinguishes each share by its number (so long as the share has a number);
(ii) confirms the amount paid, or agreed to be considered as paid on the shares of each member;
(iii) confirms the number and category of shares held by each member; and
(iv) confirms whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional;
• the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
• the date on which any person ceased to be a member.
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Under the Cayman Companies Act, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (that is, the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a shareholder registered in the register of members is deemed as a matter of the Cayman Companies Act to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the completion of this offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to record and give effect to the issuance of shares by us to the custodian or its nominee. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name.
If the name of any person is incorrectly entered in or omitted from our register of members, or if there is any default or unnecessary delay in entering on the register the fact of any person having ceased to be a shareholder of our company, the person or shareholder aggrieved (or any shareholder of our company or our company itself) may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for an order that the register be rectified, and the Court may either refuse such application or it may, if satisfied of the justice of the case, make an order for the rectification of the register.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our Board of Directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our Board of Directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue 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.
Rights
Each holder of a right will receive one-fifth (1/5) of one ordinary share upon consummation of our initial business combination, even if the holder of such right redeemed all Class A ordinary shares held by it in connection with the initial business combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive its additional shares upon consummation of an initial business combination, as the consideration related thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by investors in this offering. If we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the Class A ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary share basis, and each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert its rights in order to receive the 1/5 share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the business combination. More specifically, the right holder will be required to indicate its election to convert the rights into underlying shares as well as to return the original rights certificates to us.
As soon as practicable upon the consummation of our initial business combination, we will direct registered holders of the rights to return their rights to our rights agent. Upon receipt of the rights, the rights agent will issue to the registered holder of such rights the number of full Class A ordinary shares to which it is entitled. We will notify registered holders of the rights to deliver their rights to the rights agent promptly upon consummation of such business combination and have been informed by the rights agent that the process of exchanging their rights for Class A ordinary shares should take no more than a matter of days. The foregoing exchange of rights is solely ministerial in nature and is not intended to provide us with any means of avoiding our obligation to issue the shares underlying the rights upon consummation of our initial business combination. Other than confirming that the rights delivered by a registered holder are valid, we will have no ability to avoid delivery of the shares underlying the rights.
The shares issuable upon conversion of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of ours). We will not issue fractional shares upon conversion of the rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Cayman law. As a result, you must hold rights in multiples of 5 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a business combination. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we
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liquidate the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from our assets held outside of the trust account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
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 rights 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 rights 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 rights, which could limit the ability of right 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. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Dividends
Subject to the provisions of the Cayman Companies Act and any rights attaching to any class or classes of shares under and in accordance with the articles:
• the directors may declare dividends or distributions out of our funds which are lawfully available for that purpose; and
• our shareholders may, by ordinary resolution, declare dividends but no such dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the directors.
Subject to the requirements of the Cayman Companies Act regarding the application of a company’s share premium account and with the sanction of an ordinary resolution, dividends may also be declared and paid out of any share premium account. The directors when paying dividends to shareholders may make such payment either in cash or in specie.
Unless provided by the rights attached to a share, no dividend shall bear interest.
Our Transfer Agent and Right Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and our right agent for our rights is [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company]. We have agreed to indemnify [Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company] in its roles as transfer agent and right 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 U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the U.S. and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. The Cayman Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies provided that the laws of the foreign jurisdiction permit such merger or consolidation. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in
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one of such companies as the surviving company, and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a new consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The plan must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the shareholders and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is affected in compliance with these statutory procedures.
A merger between a Cayman parent company and its Cayman subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders. For this purpose, a subsidiary is a company of which at least 90% of the issued shares entitled to vote are owned by the parent company.
The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.
Except in certain limited circumstances, a dissenting shareholder of a Cayman Islands constituent company is entitled to payment of the fair value of his or her shares upon dissenting from a merger or consolidation. The exercise of such dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, except for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.
In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement is approved by seventy-five percent (75%) in value of the shareholders or class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:
(a) the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met;
(b) the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class;
(c) the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and
(d) the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Cayman Companies Act.
When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four-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 in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.
If an arrangement and reconstruction is thus approved, or if a takeover offer is made and accepted, a dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares
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Shareholders’ Suits. In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff to sue for a wrong done to us as a company and as a general rule, a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English law authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a non-controlling shareholder may be permitted to commence a class action against or derivative actions in the name of the company to challenge:
(a) an act which is illegal or ultra vires with respect to the company and is therefore incapable of ratification by the shareholders;
(b) an act which, although not ultra vires, requires authorization by a qualified (or special) majority (that is, more than a simple majority) which has not been obtained; and
(c) an act which constitutes a “fraud on the minority” where the wrongdoers are themselves in control of the company.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities.
PRC
The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S.
It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of another country or region to monitor and oversee cross-border securities activities, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the U.S. may not be efficient in the absence of a practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or “Article 177,” which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Article 177 further provides that Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to foreign agencies without prior consent from the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the U.S. and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the U.S.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would:
• recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws; and
• entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
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There is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the Cayman Islands will in certain circumstances recognize and enforce a foreign judgment, without any re-examination or re-litigation of matters adjudicated upon, provided such judgment:
(a) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction;
(b) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given;
(c) is final;
(d) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty;
(e) was not obtained by fraud; and
(f) is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands.
Subject to the above limitations, in appropriate circumstances, a Cayman Islands court may give effect in the Cayman Islands to other kinds of final foreign judgments such as declaratory orders, orders for performance of contracts and injunctions.
In addition, two of our directors and officers are nationals and/or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States, and all or a substantial portion of such persons’ assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or such persons, or to enforce against them or against us, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. It may also be difficult for you to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies.
We were incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands. A Cayman Islands exempted company:
• is a company that conducts its business mainly outside the Cayman Islands;
• is prohibited from trading in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the exempted company carried on outside the Cayman Islands (and for this purpose can effect and conclude contracts in the Cayman Islands and exercise in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands);
• does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
• does not have to make its register of members open to inspection by shareholders of that company;
• may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation;
• may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
• may register as a limited duration company; and
• may register as a segregated portfolio company.
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in
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a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders who, being entitled to do so, attend and vote at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders. Other than in certain exception as described below, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders who, being entitled to do so, attend and vote at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given (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 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the private placement shares and private place shares) or approximately 22.3% (including the private placement shares and the representative shares), 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 will provide, among other things, that:
• [if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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 $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further 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;
• 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 or an independent accounting firm, that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
• if a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E 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 [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 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 (a) provide holders of our public shares the right to have their shares redeemed or repurchased in connection with a Business Combination pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or (b) redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) or (ii) with respect to the other
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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 Class A 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; and
• we will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.]
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 approved by at least two-thirds of such company’s shareholders, who being entitled to do so, attend and vote at such general meeting in person or by proxy. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering — Cayman Islands
In order to comply with legislation or regulations aimed at the prevention of money laundering, we are required to adopt and maintain anti-money laundering procedures, and may require subscribers to provide evidence to verify their identity and source of funds. Where permitted, and subject to certain conditions, we may also delegate the maintenance of our anti-money laundering procedures (including the acquisition of due diligence information) to a suitable person.
We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to verify the identity of a subscriber. In some cases the directors may be satisfied that no further information is required since an exemption applies under the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, as amended and revised from time to time (the “Regulations”) or any other applicable law. Depending on the circumstances of each application, a detailed verification of identity might not be required where:
(a) the subscriber makes the payment for their investment from an account held in the subscriber’s name at a recognized financial institution; or
(b) the subscriber is regulated by a recognized regulatory authority and is based or incorporated in, or formed under the law of, a recognized jurisdiction; or
(c) the application is made through an intermediary which is regulated by a recognized regulatory authority and is based in or incorporated in, or formed under the law of a recognized jurisdiction and an assurance is provided in relation to the procedures undertaken on the underlying investors.
For the purposes of these exceptions, recognition of a financial institution, regulatory authority or jurisdiction will be determined in accordance with the Regulations by reference to those jurisdictions recognized by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority as having equivalent anti-money laundering regulations.
In the event of delay or failure on the part of the subscriber in producing any information required for verification purposes, we may refuse to accept the application, in which case any funds received will be returned without interest to the account from which they were originally debited.
We also 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 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.
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If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority (“FRA”) of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the FRA, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
Data Protection in the Cayman Islands — Privacy Notice
This privacy notice explains the manner in which the company collects, processes and maintains personal data about investors of the company pursuant to the Data Protection Act, 2017 of the Cayman Islands, as amended from time to time and any regulations, codes of practice or orders promulgated pursuant thereto (“DPA”).
The company is committed to processing personal data in accordance with the DPA. In its use of personal data, the company will be characterized under the DPA as a ‘data controller’, whilst certain of the company’s service providers, affiliates and delegates may act as ‘data processors’ under the DPA. These service providers may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to the company.
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that, by virtue of making an investment in the company, the company and certain of the company’s service providers may collect, record, store, transfer and otherwise process personal data by which individuals may be directly or indirectly identified.
Your personal data will be processed fairly and for lawful purposes, including (a) where the processing is necessary for the company to perform a contract to which you are a party or for taking pre-contractual steps at your request (b) where the processing is necessary for compliance with any legal, tax or regulatory obligation to which the company is subject or (c) where the processing is for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by the company or by a service provider to whom the data are disclosed. As a data controller, we will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will contact you.
We anticipate that we will share your personal data with the company’s service providers for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. We may also share relevant personal data where it is lawful to do so and necessary to comply with our contractual obligations or your instructions or where it is necessary or desirable to do so in connection with any regulatory reporting obligations. In exceptional circumstances, we will share your personal data with regulatory, prosecuting and other governmental agencies or departments, and parties to litigation (whether pending or threatened), in any country or territory including to any other person where we have a public or legal duty to do so (e.g. to assist with detecting and preventing fraud, tax evasion and financial crime or compliance with a court order).
Your personal data shall not be held by the company for longer than necessary with regard to the purposes of the data processing.
We will not sell your personal data. Any transfer of personal data outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA. Where necessary, we will ensure that separate and appropriate legal agreements are put in place with the recipient of that data.
The company 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.
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 to your investment into the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should inform such individuals of the content.
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You have certain rights under the DPA, including (a) the right to be informed as to how we collect and use your personal data (and this privacy notice fulfils the Company’s obligation in this respect) (b) the right to obtain a copy of your personal data (c) the right to require us to stop direct marketing (d) the right to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected (e) the right to withdraw your consent and require us to stop processing or restrict the processing, or not begin the processing of your personal data (f) the right to be notified of a data breach (unless the breach is unlikely to be prejudicial) (g) the right to obtain information as to any countries or territories outside the Cayman Islands to which we, whether directly or indirectly, transfer, intend to transfer or wish to transfer your personal data, general measures we take to ensure the security of personal data and any information available to us as to the source of your personal data (h) the right to complain to the Office of the Ombudsman of the Cayman Islands and (i) the right to require us to delete your personal data in some limited circumstances.
If you consider that your personal data has not been handled correctly, or you are not satisfied with the company’s responses to any requests you have made regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Cayman Islands’ Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can be contacted by calling +1 (345) 946-6283 or by email at info@ombudsman.ky.
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SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Immediately after this offering we will have 6,690,000 (or 7,668,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 5,750,000 Class A ordinary 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 remaining 1,250,000 (or 1,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) founder shares and all 240,000 (or 251,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement units (including component securities contained therein) and 200,000 shares (230,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) issued to Maxim and/or its designees are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or rights for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or rights for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
• 1% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding 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.
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 and private placement units (including the component securities of the private placement units) pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination, assuming it is not an affiliate of ours at that time.
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Registration Rights
The holders of founder shares, representative shares, private placement units, and units that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans and extension loans (and in each case holders of their component securities, as applicable) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period, which occurs, (i) in the case of the founder shares, on the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of our initial business combination and (2) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after our initial business combination, 50% of the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. In the case of the private placement units (and their component securities), the termination of the lock-up period occurs upon the completion of our initial business combination; and (ii) in the case of the private placement units, including the component securities therein, upon the completion of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the above, the representative shares will be further subject to the limitations on registration requirements imposed by FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, Class A ordinary shares and rights on [Nasdaq] under the symbols “[•],” “[•]” and “[•],” respectively on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the Class A ordinary shares and rights are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and rights will be listed separately and as a unit on [Nasdaq]. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on [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, Class A ordinary shares, and rights 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 Class A ordinary shares and rights, 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 Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to the Company levied by the Government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or, after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is a party to a double tax treaty entered with the United Kingdom in 2010 but is otherwise not party to any double tax treaties that are applicable to any payments made to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our ordinary shares 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 our ordinary shares, as the case may be, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our ordinary shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.
The Cayman Islands enacted the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act (2021 Revision) together with the Guidance Notes published by the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority from time to time. The Company is required to comply with the economic substance requirements from July 1, 2019 and make an annual report in the Cayman Islands as to whether or not it is carrying on any relevant activities and if it is, it must satisfy an economic substance test.
The Tax Concessions Act
Revised
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (Revised), the Financial Secretary undertakes with Eureka 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 (Revised).
3 These concessions shall be for a period of twenty years from September 30, 2021.
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Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following is a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, Class A ordinary shares, and rights, which we refer to collectively as our securities. 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 owner of the underlying ordinary share and right 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 rights should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and rights that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes (generally, property held for investment), is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering and assumes any distributions on our Class A ordinary shares 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:
• banks or other financial institutions;
• insurance companies;
• dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities;
• a government or agency or instrumentality thereof;
• real estate investment trusts or regulated investment companies;
• 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 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares; and
• tax-exempt entities.
If you are 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 right. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit among the ordinary share and right based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each ordinary share and right
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should be the shareholder’s tax basis in such share or right, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the ordinary share and right comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated among the ordinary share and right 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). The separation of the ordinary share and right comprising a unit should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the Class A ordinary shares and rights, 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 securities who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) an individual citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source or (iv) a trust if (A) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) it has in effect a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person.
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.
Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. holder’s basis in its 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 ordinary shares.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, under tax laws currently in effect, 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 Rights” below) only if our ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States and certain other requirements are met (including a requirement that the Company is not a PFIC in (i) the year the dividend is paid or (ii) the immediately preceding tax year). U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Rights
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares, or rights which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A ordinary shares as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares.
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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 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 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 rights are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or rights based upon their then fair market values) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or rights so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or rights 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 an ordinary share or right) less, in the case of an 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 (each of which we refer to as a “redemption”), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “U.S. holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares” 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 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 relative to all of our 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 possibly include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the rights. 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 will not be voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test will 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.
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If none of the foregoing tests is 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 Class A ordinary shares, a U.S. holder should consult its own tax advisors as to the allocation of any remaining 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.
Acquisition of Class A Ordinary Shares Pursuant to Rights
The treatment of the rights to acquire Class A ordinary shares is uncertain. The right may be viewed as a forward contract, derivative security or similar interest in our company (analogous to a warrant or option with no exercise price), and thus the holder of the right would not be viewed as owning the Class A ordinary shares issuable pursuant to the rights until such Class A ordinary shares are actually issued. There may be other alternative characterizations of the rights that the IRS may successfully assert, including that the rights are treated as equity in our company at the time the rights are issued.
The tax consequences of an acquisition of our Class A ordinary shares pursuant to rights are unclear and will depend on the treatment of any initial business combination. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an acquisition of Class A ordinary shares pursuant to rights and the consequences of any initial business combination.
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 our current taxable year. 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 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 and possibly not until after the close of our next taxable year. 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 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 rights 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, a QEF election along with a deemed sale (or purging) election, 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; and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. holder (generally, any distributions to
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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 and rights, and 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 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 rights) by making either (i) a timely QEF election 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.
The treatment of the rights to acquire our Class A ordinary shares is unclear. For example, the rights may be viewed as a forward contract, derivative security or similar interest in our company (analogous to a warrant or option with no exercise price), and thus the holder of the right would not be viewed as owning the Class A ordinary shares issuable pursuant to the rights until such Class A ordinary shares are actually issued. There may be other alternative characterizations of the rights that the IRS may successfully assert, including that the rights are treated as equity in our company at the time the rights are issued, that would reach different conclusions regarding the tax treatment of the rights under the PFIC rules. In any case, depending on which characterization is successfully applied to the rights, different PFIC consequences may result for U.S. holders of the rights. It is also likely that a U.S. holder of rights would not be able to make a QEF or mark-to-market election (discussed below) with respect to such U.S. holder’s rights. Due to the uncertainty of the application of the PFIC rules to the rights, all potential investors are strongly urged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding an investment in the rights offered hereunder as part of the units offering and the subsequent consequences to holders of such rights in any initial business combination.
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. A QEF election may not be made with respect to our rights.
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
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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, 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.
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 rights 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 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 our rights.
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 [Nasdaq] (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. 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. Additionally, U.S. holders generally will not be able to make a mark-to-market election with respect to a lower-tier PFIC. 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 market-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. holders of our Class A ordinary shares should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
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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. 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 rights. Each U.S. holder is urged to consult with its own tax advisor regarding this reporting obligation.
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 rights 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 the U.S. 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 to 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 U.S. (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the U.S.). 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 rights unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the U.S. (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the U.S.) or the Non-U.S. holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met (in which case, such gain from United States sources generally is subject to tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate).
Dividends and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the U.S. (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the U.S.) 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 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.
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UNDERWRITING
Maxim is acting as sole book-running manager of the offering and as the sole representative of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, the underwriters named below, through their representative Maxim Group LLC, have severally agreed to purchase on a firm commitment basis, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, the following respective number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name at a public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.
Underwriters | | Number of Units |
Maxim Group LLC | | |
Total | | 5,000,000 |
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to all applicable laws and regulations and certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriters of officers’ certificates and legal opinions and approval of certain legal matters by their counsel. 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. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and certain of their controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Upon the execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the units at the prices and upon the terms stated therein, and, as a result, will thereafter bear any risk associated with changing the offering price to the public or other selling terms after completion of the initial public offering. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part. Maxim has advised us that the underwriters 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 750,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional units approximately proportionate to that underwriters’ 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.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors 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 Maxim, offer, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell (including any short sale), pledge, transfer, establish an open “put equivalent position” within the meaning of Rule 16a-l(h) under the Exchange Act, as amended, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any of our units rights, ordinary shares, or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, our ordinary shares currently or hereafter owned either of record or beneficially, or publicly announce an intention to do any of the foregoing. Maxim in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice. Our sponsor, officers, and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement units (and underlying securities) pursuant to the letter agreement as described herein.
Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination; or (ii) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities, or other property (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations,
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recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination, then 50% of the founder shares will no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. The private placement units (including the underlying securities) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”).
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters. Among the factors considered in determining 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 the equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, ordinary shares or rights will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, ordinary shares or rights will develop and continue after this offering.
We have applied to list our units on [Nasdaq] under the symbol “[__]U.” We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on [Nasdaq]. We expect that our units will be listed on [Nasdaq] on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect that our ordinary shares and rights will be listed under the symbols “[__],” and “[__]R,” respectively, once the ordinary shares and rights begin separate trading.
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. The upfront portion of the underwriting discounts and commissions will be $0.15 per unit.
| | Payable by Eureka Acquisition Corp |
| | No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | | Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option |
Per Unit | | $ | 0.15 | | $ | 0.15 |
Total(1) | | $ | 750,000 | | $ | 862,500 |
In addition to the underwriting discount, we paid Maxim $25,000 upon the execution of the engagement letter, as an advance against out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually anticipated to be incurred by the underwriters. Concurrently with the filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we paid Maxim an additional $25,000. We refer to such amounts previously paid as the advance, and the advance shall be applied towards Maxim’s accountable expenses. Furthermore, we have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain expenses incurred in connection with this offering, including but not limited to road show expenses, in an amount not to exceed $100,000 in the aggregate (inclusive of the advance). Any portion of the advance will be returned to us in the event it is not actually incurred.
No discounts or commissions will be paid on the sale of the private placement units.
Representative Shares
We have agreed to issue to Maxim and/or its designees, 200,000 ordinary shares (or up to 230,000 ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) upon the consummation of this offering. These shares are being registered in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Maxim has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, Maxim has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business
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combination and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). The shares issued to Maxim will be granted customary registration rights in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8).
The shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of this offering pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1). Pursuant to this FINRA lock-up, these securities cannot be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated or the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days from the commencement of sales of this offering except as permitted under FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2), including to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their officers or partners, registered persons or affiliates. These securities have resale registration rights including three demand (one at our expense and two at Maxim’s expense) and unlimited “piggy-back” rights for five and seven years from the commencement of sales in this offering, respectively.
Right of First Refusal
Subject to certain conditions, we granted Maxim, for a period beginning on the closing of this offering and ending 18 months after the date of the consummation of our business combination, a right of first refusal to act as sole underwriter and sole book running managing, or sole placement agent for any and all future public and private equity, equity-linked, convertible and debt offerings for us or any of our successors or subsidiaries. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(6), such right of first refusal shall not have a duration of more than three years from the commencement of sales of this offering.
Regulatory Restrictions on Purchase of Securities
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. The underwriters have advised us that, in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, they may engage in short sale transactions, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of our units at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market.
• Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than it is required to purchase in the offering.
• “Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
• “Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
• Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions.
• To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.
• To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the over-allotment option. In determining the source of units to close the covered
• short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.
• Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.
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Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own account, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our ordinary shares. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, any of the activities may be discontinued at any time.
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $650,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
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 underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with 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 they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of an initial business combination.
Electronic Distribution
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available by e-mail or on the web sites or through online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of units for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriters’ web sites and any information contained in any other web site maintained by any of the underwriters is not part of this prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriters and should not be relied upon by investors.
Other Activities and Relationships
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. Certain of the underwriters and their respective affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory and investment banking services for us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers and may at any time hold long and short positions in such securities and instruments. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
Selling Restrictions
Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by us or the underwriters that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The securities offered by this prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such securities be distributed or
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published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
(A) Resale Restrictions: The distribution of units in Canada is being made only in the province of Ontario on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the units in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the securities.
(B) Representations of Canadian Purchasers: By purchasing units in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:
• the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the units without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions,
• the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,
• where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and
• the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.
(C) Conflicts of Interest: Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 — Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.
(D) Statutory Rights of Action: Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the offering memorandum (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
(E) Enforcement of Legal Rights: All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.
(F) Taxation and Eligibility for Investment: Canadian purchasers of units should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the units in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the units for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), an offer to the public of any units which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus may not be made in that Relevant Member State except that an offer to the public in that Relevant Member State of any units may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive, if they have been implemented in that Relevant Member State:
(a) to any legal entity which is a “qualified investor” as defined in the Prospectus Directive;
(b) to fewer than 100 or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters or the underwriters nominated by us for any such offer; or
(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that no such offer of units shall require us or any of the underwriters to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer units to the public” in relation to the units in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe to the units, as the same may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Relevant Member State and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and the expression “2010 PD Amending Directive” means Directive 2010/73/EU.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”), and/or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated (each such person being referred to as a “relevant person”). The units are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire such units will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
No securities have been offered or sold, and no securities may 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 (“SFO”) and any rules made under that Ordinance; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (“CO”) or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may 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 under that Ordinance.
This prospectus has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus 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
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acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this prospectus 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.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan
The units offered in this prospectus have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the account of any resident of Japan (including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), except (i) pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and (ii) in compliance with any other applicable requirements of Japanese law.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This prospectus has not been and will not be lodged or registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the notes may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the notes be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.
Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
(a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in 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
(b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the notes pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
(i) to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;
(ii) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;
(iii) where the transfer is by operation of law;
(iv) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or
(v) as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre
This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The securities to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered should conduct their own due diligence on the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act. Any offer in Australia of the securities may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the securities without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.
The securities applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions. This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“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.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the company, or the shares 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 (FINMA), and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Italy
This prospectus has not been submitted to the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa, the Italian Securities Exchange Commission (“CONSOB”), for clearance and will not be subject to formal review or clearance by CONSOB.
Accordingly, the Units may not be offered, and copies of this prospectus or any other document relating to the shares may not be distributed in Italy except:
(a) to “qualified investors” (investitori qualificati), as defined pursuant to Article 34-ter, first paragraph, letter b), of CONSOB regulation No. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as amended, concerning issuers (“Regulation No. 11971”), but excluding (i) small and medium enterprises and natural persons indicated in Regulation No. 11971 that have not been included in the register of qualified investors, (ii) management companies and financial intermediaries authorized to manage individual portfolios on behalf of third parties and (iii) fiduciary companies managing portfolio investments regulated by Article 60, paragraph 4 of Legislative Decree No. 415 of July 23, 1996; or
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(b) in other circumstances that are exempt from the rules on public offers pursuant to Article 100 of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998, as amended (the “Italian Financial Act”), and its implementing CONSOB regulations, including Regulation No. 11971.
Any such offer, sale or delivery of the Units offered hereby or distribution of copies of this Prospectus, or any other document relating to the offering in the Republic of Italy must be in compliance with the selling restrictions under
(i) made by soggetti abilitati (including investment firms (imprese di investimento), banks or financial intermediaries, as defined by Article 1, first paragraph, letter r), of the Italian Financial Act), to the extent duly authorized to engage in the offering and/or underwriting and/or purchase of financial instruments in the Republic of Italy in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Italian Financial Act, CONSOB Regulation 16190 of October 29, 2007, as amended, Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended (the “Italian Banking Act”) and any other applicable laws and regulations; and
(ii) in compliance with any other applicable requirements or limitations which may be imposed by CONSOB, the Bank of Italy or any other Italian regulatory authority.
Any investor purchasing the Units offered hereby is solely responsible for ensuring that any offer or resale of the shares it purchased occurs in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
In accordance with Article 100-bis of the Italian Financial Act, the subsequent resale on the secondary market in the Republic of Italy of the Units offered hereby (which were part of an offer made pursuant to an exemption from the obligation to publish a prospectus) constitutes a distinct and autonomous offer that must be made in compliance with the public offer and prospectus requirement rules provided under the Italian Financial Act and the Regulation No. 11971 unless an exemption applies. Failure to comply with such rules may result in the subsequent resale of such shares being declared null and void and the intermediary transferring the shares may be liable for any damage suffered by the investors.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
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LEGAL MATTERS
Paul Hastings LLP 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 rights. Ogier, Cayman Islands, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the Class A ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is advising the underwriters in connection with the offering of the securities.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Eureka Acquisition Corp as of September 30, 2023, and for the period from June 13, 2023 (inception) through September 30, 2023 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Eureka Acquisition Corp to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of 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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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| | Page |
Condensed Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023 (Unaudited) and September 30, 2023 | | F-2 |
Unaudited Condensed Statement of Operations for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 | | F-3 |
Unaudited Condensed Statement of Changes in Shareholder’s Equity (Deficit) for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 | | F-4 |
Unaudited Condensed Statement of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 | | F-5 |
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements | | F-6 |
| | |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms — Marcum Asia CPAs LLP (PCAOB ID: 5395) | | F-16 |
Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2023 | | F-17 |
Statement of Operations for the Period from June 13, 2023 (Inception) through September 30, 2023 | | F-18 |
Statement of Changes in Shareholder’s Equity for the Period from June 13, 2023 (Inception) through September 30, 2023 | | F-19 |
Statement of Cash Flows for the Period from June 13, 2023 (Inception) through September 30, 2023 | | F-20 |
Notes to Financial Statements | | F-21 |
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
| | December 31, 2023 | | September 30, 2023 |
| | (Unaudited) | | |
Assets | | | | | | | | |
Current Assets | | | | | | | | |
Cash | | $ | 13,043 | | | $ | — | |
Prepaid expenses | | | 8,948 | | | | 47,200 | |
Total Current Assets | | | 21,991 | | | | 47,200 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Non-current Assets | | | | | | | | |
Deferred offering costs | | | 295,932 | | | | 236,902 | |
Total Assets | | $ | 317,923 | | | $ | 284,102 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Liabilities and Shareholder’s (Deficit) Equity | | | | | | | | |
Current Liabilities | | | | | | | | |
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | | $ | 126,056 | | | $ | 160,416 | |
Promissory note – related party | | | 229,011 | | | | 104,011 | |
Total Current Liabilities | | | 355,067 | | | | 264,427 | |
Total Liabilities | | | 355,067 | | | | 264,427 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Shareholders’ (Deficit) Equity: | | | | | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | — | | | | — | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 390,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | — | | | | — | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 1,437,500 shares issued and outstanding(1) | | | 144 | | | | 144 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 24,856 | | | | 24,856 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (62,144 | ) | | | (5,325 | ) |
Total Shareholders’ (Deficit) Equity | | | (37,144 | ) | | | 19,675 | |
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ (Deficit) Equity | | $ | 317,923 | | | $ | 284,102 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
| | For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 |
Formation and operating costs | | $ | 56,819 | |
Net loss | | $ | (56,819 | ) |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding(1) | | | 1,250,000 | |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary share | | $ | (0.05 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023
| | Preference Shares | | Ordinary Shares
| | Additional Paid-in Capital | | Accumulated Deficit | | Total Shareholders’ Equity (Deficit) |
Class A | | Class B | |
| | Shares | | Amount | | Shares | | Amount | | Shares(1) | | Amount | |
Balance as of September 30, 2023 | | — | | $ | — | | — | | $ | — | | 1,437,500 | | $ | 144 | | $ | 24,856 | | $ | (5,325 | ) | | $ | 19,675 | |
Net loss | | — | | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | | — | | | — | | | (56,819 | ) | | | (56,819 | ) |
Balance as of December 31, 2023 | | — | | $ | — | | — | | $ | — | | 1,437,500 | | $ | 144 | | $ | 24,856 | | $ | (62,144 | ) | | $ | (37,144 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
| | For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (56,819 | ) |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | | | | |
Prepaid expenses | | | 38,252 | |
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | | | (59,360 | ) |
Net Cash Used in Operating Activities | | | (77,927 | ) |
| | | | |
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | | | | |
Borrowings via promissory note – related party | | | 125,000 | |
Payment of deferred offering costs | | | (34,030 | ) |
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities | | | 90,970 | |
| | | | |
Net Change in Cash | | | 13,043 | |
| | | | |
Cash, beginning of period | | | — | |
Cash, end of period | | $ | 13,043 | |
| | | | |
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: | | | | |
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs | | $ | 25,000 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration
Eureka Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on June 13, 2023. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, shares exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” The Company does not have any specific business combination under consideration and the Company has not (nor has anyone on its behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction. The Company’s efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic location but will initially focus in Asia. The Company may consummate a business combination with an entity located in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). Further, due to the fact that a majority of the Company’s executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China or non-Hong Kong-based target companies, and such perception may potentially limit or negatively impact its search for an initial business combination or may therefore make it more likely for the Company to consummate a business combination with a company based in or having the majority of its operations in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and/or Hong Kong. The Company has selected September 30 as its fiscal year end.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. For the period from June 13, 2023 (inception) through December 31, 2023, the Company’s efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of dividend and/or interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering and sale of Private Placement Units (as defined below).
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placements Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.
The Company’s founder and sponsor is Hercules Capital Management Corp, a British Virgin Islands company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering,” see Note 3) and a private placement to the initial shareholder (the “Private Placement,” see Note 4).
The Company’s initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (as defined below), (less any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of execution of the definitive agreement in connection with its initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). The Company does not believe that its anticipated principal activities will subject the Company to the Investment Company Act. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.
Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that at least $10.00 per Unit (as defined in Note 3) sold in the Proposed Public Offering will be held into a U.S.-based trust account (“Trust Account”). The funds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest solely in direct U.S. government treasury. Except with respect to divided and/or interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to the Company to pay the Company’s tax obligation, if any, the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the private placement units that are deposited and held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration (cont.)
Company’s initial Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if the Company does not complete the Company’s initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 the company are unable to complete their initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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.
The Company will provide its Class A ordinary 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 shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer.
The Company has determined not to consummate any Business Combination unless the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation in order to avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if the Company seeks to consummate an initial Business Combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the Trust Account upon consummation of such initial Business Combination, its net tangible asset threshold may limit the Company’s ability to consummate such initial Business Combination (as the Company may be required to have a lesser number of shares redeemed) and may force the Company to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. As a result, the Company may not be able to consummate such initial Business Combination and the Company may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.
The Company will have only 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time) to complete its initial Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete its initial Business Combination within such 12-month period, the Company may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to two times, each by an additional three months, (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time), the Company will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay 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 its remaining shareholders and its Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to its 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 its public rights or private placement rights, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within the 12-month time period, the Company may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to two times, each by an additional three months, (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time).
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration (cont.)
Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, in order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate its initial Business Combination, its sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit an aggregate of $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per public share in either case), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three-month extension (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per public share if the Company extends for the full six months).
Going Concern Consideration
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $13,043 of cash and a working capital deficiency of $333,076. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering are discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. Prior to the close of the Proposed Public Offering, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount of up to $500,000 as discussed in Note 5 to be used, in part, for transaction costs incurred in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the Company’s inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or a Business Combination to continue as a going concern.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s future financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, there has been a significant impact as of the date of these unaudited condensed financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the future outcome of this uncertainty.
As a result of the military action commenced in February 2022 by the Russian Federation and Belarus in the country of Ukraine and related economic sanctions, the Company’s ability to consummate a Business Combination, or the operations of a target business with which the Company ultimately consummates a Business Combination, may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, the Company’s ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by these events, including as a result of increased market volatility, or decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. The impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy and the specific impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and/or ability to consummate a Business Combination are not yet determinable. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. In the opinion of management, all adjustments consisting of normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of the financial statements, have been included. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year. These unaudited condensed financial statements and accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this registration statements for the period from June 13, 2023 (inception) through September 30, 2023.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies (cont.)
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 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.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A — Expenses of Offering. Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, and other costs (including underwriting discounts and commissions) incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to shareholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 187,500 shares of ordinary share that are subject to forfeiture if the
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies (cont.)
over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary share and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
The Company will account for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (ASC 480). Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) will be classified as a liability instrument and will be measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) will be classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares will be classified as stockholders’ equity. In accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, the Company will classify the Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption outside of permanent equity as the redemption provisions are not solely within the control of the Company. Given that the 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold as part of the units in the Proposed Public Offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., rights), the initial carrying value of Class A ordinary shares classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes in redemption value as a charge against retained earnings or, in the absence of retained earnings, as a charge against additional paid-in-capital over an expected 12-month period leading up to a Business Combination.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition. Based on the Company’s evaluation, it has been concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions requiring recognition in the Company’s financial statements.
The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies (cont.)
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman Islands federal income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, 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 accounting for 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 effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Note 3 — Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale of 5,000,000 units (the “Units”), (or 5,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each Unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of the Company’s Class A ordinary share and one right. Each right entitles the holder thereof to receive one-fifth (amended from one-quarter) of one ordinary share upon completion of our initial Business Combination. The Company will not issue fractional shares. As a result, the holder must hold rights in multiples of 5 in order to receive shares for all of their rights upon closing of a Business Combination. The Company has also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
Note 4 — Private Placement
The Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 units (or 251,250 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,400,000 (or $2,512,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each private placement units (“Private Placement Units”) will be identical to the units sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that it will not be redeemable, transferable, assignable or salable by the Sponsor until the completion of its initial Business Combination, except in each case (a) to the Company’s officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of its officers or directors, any members of the Sponsor, or any affiliates of the Sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of its initial Business Combination; or (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or the Sponsor’s operating agreement upon dissolution of the Sponsor; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and by the same agreements entered into by the Sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting and liquidation distributions). The Placement Units will be sold in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, including the over-allotment option, as applicable.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On July 4, 2023 and September 29, 2023, the Sponsor acquired 100 and 1,437,400 Class B ordinary share (the “Founder shares”), respectively, for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, there were 1,437,500 Founder shares issued and outstanding, among which, up to 187,500 Founder shares are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised.
The Founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, and holders of Founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) holders of the Founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to its initial Business Combination, (ii) the Founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, and (iii) its sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of its initial Business Combination and (B) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder shares if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within such time period and (iii) the Founder shares are subject to registration rights. If the Company submits its initial Business Combination to its public shareholders for a vote, its sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with the Company, to vote any Founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of its initial Business Combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of its initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein and in its 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 the Proposed Public 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 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 or any private placement-equivalent units issued to its sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to the Company). Holders of Founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for its Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with its 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 its officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with its sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of its initial Business Combination and (2) the date on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after its initial Business Combination that results in all of its shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of the Company
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions (cont.)
ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after our initial business combination, 50% of the Founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On September 30, 2023, the Sponsor has agreed to loan the Company up to $500,000 (the “Promissory Note”) to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company has an outstanding loan balance of $229,011 and $104,011, respectively. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of (1) the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or (2) the date on which the Company determines not to conduct an initial public offering of its securities, unless accelerated upon the occurrence of an Event of Default. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the Trust Account.
Working Capital Loans
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Sponsor, the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required. If the Company completes the initial Business Combination, it would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans (“Working Capital Loans”) made by the Sponsor, the Company’s officers and directors, or the Company’s or their affiliates to the Company prior to or in connection with its initial Business Combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of its initial Business Combination. The units would be identical to the Placement Units.
As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
Administrative Support Services
Commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company has agreed to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of its initial Business Combination or its liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder shares, Representative Shares, Placement Units, and units that may be issued on conversion of Working Capital Loans (and in each case holders of their component securities, as applicable) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company registers such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to its completion of its initial Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period, which occurs, in the case of the Founder shares, on the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of its initial Business Combination and (2) the date on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after its initial Business Combination that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies (cont.)
property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of the Company’s ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after its initial Business Combination, 50% of the Founder shares will be released from the lock-up. In the case of the Placement Units (and their component securities), the termination of the lock-up period occurs upon the completion of its initial Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option from the date of Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
The underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.15 per unit, or $750,000 (or up to $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full). Additionally, the underwriters will be entitled to four percent (4.0%) of gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering of the Company’s 200,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares (or up to 230,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) that will be registered in the Proposed Public Offering and will be paid at the closing of the Proposed Public Offering as representative shares (“Representative Shares”). In addition, the underwriter has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of its initial Business Combination and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination).
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity
Preference Share — The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of preference share, $0.0001 par value, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Share — The Company is authorized to issue 390,000,000 shares of Class A ordinary share with $0.0001 par value. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, there were no shares of Class A ordinary share issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Share — The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class B ordinary share with $0.0001 par value. In July 2023 and September 2023, we issued an aggregate of 1,437,500 Founder shares to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Of the 1,437,500 shares of Class B ordinary share outstanding, an aggregate of up to 187,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial shareholder will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of ordinary share after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming they do not purchase any Units in the Proposed Public Offering and excluding the shares of Class A ordinary share underlying the Placement Units).
Prior to the initial Business Combination, only holders of its Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of its Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association with class rights may not be amended without a resolution passed by holders of at least two thirds of the Company’s ordinary shares who are eligible to vote and attend and vote in a general meeting of the Company’s shareholders. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of its shareholders, including any vote in connection with the initial Business Combination, except as required by law, holders of the Founder shares and holders of its Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity (cont.)
The Class B ordinary share will automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary share at the time of the initial Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Rights
Each holder of a right will receive one-fifth (1/5) (amended from one-quarter (1/4)) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of its initial Business Combination, even if the holder of such right redeemed all Class A ordinary shares held by it in connection with the initial Business Combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive its additional shares upon consummation of an initial business combination, as the consideration related thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by investors in the Proposed Public Offering. If the Company enters into a definitive agreement for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the Class A ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary share basis, and each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert its rights in order to receive the 1/5 share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the Business Combination. More specifically, the right holder will be required to indicate its election to convert the rights into underlying shares as well as to return the original rights certificates to the Company.
The shares issuable upon conversion of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of the Company). The Company will not issue fractional shares upon conversion of the rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Cayman law. As a result, the holders of rights must hold rights in multiples of 5 in order to receive shares for all of their rights upon closing of a Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete an initial Business Combination within the required time period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of an initial Business Combination. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
Note 8 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date when these unaudited condensed financial statements were issued. Based on this review, except as disclosed below, the Company did not identify any other subsequent events that would require adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
On February 29, 2024, the Company changed the terms of the Rights to be included in each unit for the Proposed Public Offering, which entitles the holder to receive one-fifth (originally one-quarter) of one ordinary share upon completion of the initial Business Combination.
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Eureka Acquisition Corp
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Eureka Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) as of September 30, 2023, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows from June 13, 2023 (inception) through September 30, 2023, 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 September 30, 2023 and the results of its operations and its cash flows from June 13, 2023 (inception) through September 30, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a significant working capital deficiency as of September 30, 2023 and lacks of the financial resources it needs to sustain operations or a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1 and Note 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB and in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. 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/ Marcum Asia CPAs llp
Marcum Asia CPAs llp
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2023.
New York, NY
December 21, 2023
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
BALANCE SHEET
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
Assets | | | | |
Current Assets: | | | | |
Prepaid expenses | | $ | 47,200 | |
Total Current Assets | | | 47,200 | |
| | | | |
Non-current Assets: | | | | |
Deferred offering costs | | | 236,902 | |
Total Assets | | $ | 284,102 | |
| | | | |
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | | | | |
Current Liabilities: | | | | |
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | | $ | 160,416 | |
Promissory note – related party | | | 104,011 | |
Total Current Liabilities | | | 264,427 | |
Total Liabilities | | | 264,427 | |
| | | | |
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7) | | | | |
| | | | |
Shareholder’s Equity: | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | — | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 390,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | | | — | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 1,437,500 shares issued and outstanding(1) | | | 144 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 24,856 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (5,325 | ) |
Total Shareholder’s Equity | | | 19,675 | |
Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | | $ | 284,102 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JUNE 13, 2023 (INCEPTION) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
Formation and operating costs | | $ | 5,325 | |
Net loss | | $ | (5,325 | ) |
| | | | |
Basic and diluted weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding(1) | | | 1,250,000 | |
| | | | |
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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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JUNE 13, 2023 (INCEPTION) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
| | Preference Shares | | Ordinary Shares | | Additional Paid-in Capital | | Accumulated Deficit | | Total Shareholder’s Equity |
| | Class A | | Class B | |
| | Shares | | Amount | | Shares | | Amount | | Shares | | Amount | |
Balance as of June 13, 2023 (inception) | | — | | $ | — | | — | | $ | — | | — | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Founder shares issued to initial shareholder(1) | | — | | | — | | — | | | — | | 1,437,500 | | | 144 | | | 24,856 | | | — | | | | 25,000 | |
Net loss | | — | | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | | — | | | — | | | (5,325 | ) | | | (5,325 | ) |
Balance as of September 30, 2023 | | — | | $ | — | | — | | $ | — | | 1,437,500 | | $ | 144 | | $ | 24,856 | | $ | (5,325 | ) | | $ | 19,675 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JUNE 13, 2023 (INCEPTION) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (5,325 | ) |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | | | | |
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | | | 1,056 | |
Net Cash Used in Operating Activities | | | (4,269 | ) |
| | | | |
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | | | | |
Payment of operating expenses via promissory note – related party | | | 4,269 | |
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities | | | 4,269 | |
| | | | |
Net Change in Cash | | | — | |
| | | | |
Cash, beginning of period | | | — | |
Cash, end of period | | $ | — | |
| | | | |
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: | | | | |
Prepaid expenses paid via promissory note – related party | | $ | 47,200 | |
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs | | $ | 159,360 | |
Deferred offering costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for issuance of Class B ordinary shares | | $ | 25,000 | |
Deferred offering costs paid via promissory note – related party | | $ | 52,542 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration
Eureka Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on June 13, 2023. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, shares exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” The Company does not have any specific business combination under consideration and the Company has not (nor has anyone on its behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction. The Company’s efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic location but will initially focus in Asia. The Company may consummate a business combination with an entity located in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). Further, due to the fact that a majority of the Company’s executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China or non-Hong Kong-based target companies, and such perception may potentially limit or negatively impact its search for an initial business combination or may therefore make it more likely for the Company to consummate a business combination with a company based in or having the majority of its operations in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and/or Hong Kong. The Company has selected September 30 as its fiscal year end.
As of September 30, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. For the period from June 13, 2023 (inception) through September 30, 2023, the Company’s efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of dividend and/or interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering and sale of Private Placement Units (as defined below).
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placements Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.
The Company’s founder and sponsor is Hercules Capital Management Corp, a British Virgin Islands company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering,” see Note 3) and a private placement to the initial shareholder (the “Private Placement,” see Note 4).
The Company’s initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (as defined below), (less any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of execution of the definitive agreement in connection with its initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). The Company does not believe that its anticipated principal activities will subject the Company to the Investment Company Act. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.
Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that at least $10.00 per Unit (as defined in Note 3) sold in the Proposed Public Offering will be held into a U.S.-based trust account (“Trust Account”). The funds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest solely in direct U.S. government treasury. Except with respect to divided and/or interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to the Company to pay the Company’s tax obligation, if any, the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the private placement units that are deposited and held in the trust
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration (cont.)
account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if the Company does not complete the Company’s initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time) 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 the company are unable to complete their initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), 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.
The Company will provide its Class A ordinary 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 shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer.
The Company has determined not to consummate any Business Combination unless the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation in order to avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if the Company seeks to consummate an initial Business Combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the Trust Account upon consummation of such initial Business Combination, its net tangible asset threshold may limit the Company’s ability to consummate such initial Business Combination (as the Company may be required to have a lesser number of shares redeemed) and may force the Company to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. As a result, the Company may not be able to consummate such initial Business Combination and the Company may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.
The Company will have only 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time) to complete its initial Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete its initial Business Combination within such 12-month period, the Company may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to two times, each by an additional three months, (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time), the Company will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay 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 its remaining shareholders and its Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to its 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 its public rights or private placement rights, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within the 12-month time period, the Company may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to two times, each by an additional three months, (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time).
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern Consideration (cont.)
Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, in order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate its initial Business Combination, its sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit an aggregate of $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per public share in either case), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three-month extension (or up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per public share if the Company extends for the full six months).
Going Concern Consideration
As of September 30, 2023, the Company had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $217,227. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering are discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. Prior to the close of the Proposed Public Offering, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount of up to $500,000 as discussed in Note 5 to be used, in part, for transaction costs incurred in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the Company’s inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or a Business Combination to continue as a going concern.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s future financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, there has been a significant impact as of the date of these unaudited condensed financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the future outcome of this uncertainty.
As a result of the military action commenced in February 2022 by the Russian Federation and Belarus in the country of Ukraine and related economic sanctions, the Company’s ability to consummate a Business Combination, or the operations of a target business with which the Company ultimately consummates a Business Combination, may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, the Company’s ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by these events, including as a result of increased market volatility, or decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. The impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy and the specific impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and/or ability to consummate a Business Combination are not yet determinable. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies (cont.)
companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 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.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash or cash equivalents as of September 30, 2023.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A — Expenses of Offering. Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, and other costs (including underwriting discounts and commissions) incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to shareholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 187,500 shares of ordinary share that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). As of September 30, 2023, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary share and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies (cont.)
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
The Company will account for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (ASC 480). Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) will be classified as a liability instrument and will be measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) will be classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares will be classified as stockholders’ equity. In accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, the Company will classify the Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption outside of permanent equity as the redemption provisions are not solely within the control of the Company. Given that the 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold as part of the units in the Proposed Public Offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., rights), the initial carrying value of Class A ordinary shares classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes in redemption value as a charge against retained earnings or, in the absence of retained earnings, as a charge against additional paid-in-capital over an expected 12-month period leading up to a Business Combination.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition. Based on the Company’s evaluation, it has been concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions requiring recognition in the Company’s financial statements.
The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of September 30, 2023. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman Islands federal income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 2 — Significant accounting policies (cont.)
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, 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 accounting for 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 effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Note 3 — Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale of 5,000,000 units (the “Units”), (or 5,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each Unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of the Company’s Class A ordinary share and one right. Each right entitles the holder thereof to receive one-fourth of one ordinary share upon completion of our initial Business Combination. The Company will not issue fractional shares. As a result, the holder must hold rights in multiples of 4 in order to receive shares for all of their rights upon closing of a Business Combination. The Company has also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
Note 4 — Private Placement
The Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 units (or 251,250 units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2,400,000 (or $2,512,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each private placement units (“Private Placement Units”) will be identical to the units sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that it will not be redeemable, transferable, assignable or salable by the Sponsor until the completion of its initial Business Combination, except in each case (a) to the Company’s officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of its officers or directors, any members of the Sponsor, or any affiliates of the Sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of its initial Business Combination; or (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or the Sponsor’s operating agreement upon dissolution of the Sponsor; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and by the same agreements entered into by the Sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting and liquidation distributions). The Placement Units will be sold in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, including the over-allotment option, as applicable.
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On July 4, 2023 and September 29, 2023, the Sponsor acquired 100 and 1,437,400 Class B ordinary share (the “Founder shares”), respectively, for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. As of September 30, 2023, there were 1,437,500 Founder shares issued and outstanding, among which, up to 187,500 Founder shares are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions (cont.)
The Founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, and holders of Founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) holders of the Founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to its initial Business Combination, (ii) the Founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, and (iii) its sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of its initial Business Combination and (B) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder shares if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by the full amount of time), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within such time period and (iii) the Founder shares are subject to registration rights. If the Company submits its initial Business Combination to its public shareholders for a vote, its sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with the Company, to vote any Founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of its initial Business Combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of its initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein and in its 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 the Proposed Public 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 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 or any private placement-equivalent units issued to its sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to the Company). Holders of Founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for its Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with its 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 its officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with its sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of its initial Business Combination and (2) the date on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after its initial Business Combination that results in all of its shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of the Company ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after our initial business combination, 50% of the Founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On September 30, 2023, the Sponsor has agreed to loan the Company up to $500,000 (the “Promissory Note”) to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering. As of September 30, 2023, the Company has an outstanding loan balance of $104,011. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of (1) the
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions (cont.)
closing of the Proposed Public Offering or (2) the date on which the Company determines not to conduct an initial public offering of its securities, unless accelerated upon the occurrence of an Event of Default. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the Trust Account.
Working Capital Loans
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Sponsor, the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required. If the Company completes the initial Business Combination, it would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans (“Working Capital Loans”) made by the Sponsor, the Company’s officers and directors, or the Company’s or their affiliates to the Company prior to or in connection with its initial Business Combination may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of its initial Business Combination. The units would be identical to the Placement Units.
As of September 30, 2023, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
Administrative Support Services
Commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company has agreed to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of its initial Business Combination or its liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder shares, Representative Shares, Placement Units, and units that may be issued on conversion of Working Capital Loans (and in each case holders of their component securities, as applicable) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company registers such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to its completion of its initial Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period, which occurs, in the case of the Founder shares, on the earlier of (1) six months after the completion of its initial Business Combination and (2) the date on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after its initial Business Combination that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of the Company’s ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period after its initial Business Combination, 50% of the Founder shares will be released from the lock-up. In the case of the Placement Units (and their component securities), the termination of the lock-up period occurs upon the completion of its initial Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies (cont.)
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option from the date of Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
The underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.15 per unit, or $750,000 (or up to $862,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full). Additionally, the underwriters will be entitled to four percent (4.0%) of gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering of the Company’s 200,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares (or up to 230,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) that will be registered in the Proposed Public Offering and will be paid at the closing of the Proposed Public Offering as representative shares (“Representative Shares”). In addition, the underwriter has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of its initial Business Combination and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or up to two times, each by an additional three months (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination).
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity
Preference Share — The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of preference share, $0.0001 par value, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of September 30, 2023, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Share — The Company is authorized to issue 390,000,000 shares of Class A ordinary share with $0.0001 par value. As of September 30, 2023, there were no shares of Class A ordinary share issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Share — The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class B ordinary share with $0.0001 par value. In July 2023 and September 2023, we issued an aggregate of 1,437,500 Founder shares to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. Of the 1,437,500 shares of Class B ordinary share outstanding, an aggregate of up to 187,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial shareholder will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of ordinary share after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming they do not purchase any Units in the Proposed Public Offering and excluding the shares of Class A ordinary share underlying the Placement Units).
Prior to the initial Business Combination, only holders of its Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of its Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association with class rights may not be amended without a resolution passed by holders of at least two thirds of the Company’s ordinary shares who are eligible to vote and attend and vote in a general meeting of the Company’s shareholders. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of its shareholders, including any vote in connection with the initial Business Combination, except as required by law, holders of the Founder shares and holders of its Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
The Class B ordinary share will automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary share at the time of the initial Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Rights
Each holder of a right will receive one-quarter (1/4) of one Class A ordinary share upon consummation of its initial Business Combination, even if the holder of such right redeemed all Class A ordinary shares held by it in connection with the initial Business Combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive its additional shares upon consummation of an initial business combination, as the consideration
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EUREKA ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity (cont.)
related thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by investors in the Proposed Public Offering. If the Company enters into a definitive agreement for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the Class A ordinary shares will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into ordinary share basis, and each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert its rights in order to receive the 1/4 share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the Business Combination. More specifically, the right holder will be required to indicate its election to convert the rights into underlying shares as well as to return the original rights certificates to the Company.
The shares issuable upon conversion of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of the Company). The Company will not issue fractional shares upon conversion of the rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Cayman law. As a result, the holders of rights must hold rights in multiples of 4 in order to receive shares for all of their rights upon closing of a Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete an initial Business Combination within the required time period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of an initial Business Combination. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
Note 8 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date when these financial statements were issued. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would require adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
Note 9 — Event (Unaudited) Subsequent to the Date of the Independent Auditor’s Report
On February 29, 2024, the Company changed the terms of the Rights to be included in each unit for the Proposed Public Offering, which entitles the holder to receive one-fifth (originally one-quarter) of one ordinary share upon completion of the initial Business Combination.
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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:
Legal fees and expenses | | $ | 275,000.00 |
[Nasdaq] listing and filing fees | | $ | 50,000.00 |
Printing and engraving expenses | | $ | 40,000.00 |
Accounting fees and expenses | | $ | 50,000.00 |
FINRA/SEC filing fees | | $ | 18,296.00 |
Reimbursement for underwriter expenses(3) | | $ | 125,000.00 |
Miscellaneous expenses | | $ | 91,704.00 |
TOTAL | | $ | 650,000.00 |
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, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud 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.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the Underwriters and the Underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
As of September 30, 2023, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration for 1,437,500 founder shares at approximately $0.02 per share. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of this offering (excluding the representative shares and the private placement shares underlying the private placement units and any units that the initial shareholders may purchase in this offering). Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D, or otherwise subject to an exemption from the registration of the sale of securities under the Securities Act. 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.
In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 240,000 (or 251,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit ($2,400,000 in the aggregate or $2,512,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). 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.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid or will be paid with respect to such sales.
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Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:
(b) Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement.
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the 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
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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;
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 Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Shanghai, China, on the 8th day of March, 2024.
| | Eureka Acquisition Corp |
| | By: | | /s/ Fen Zhang |
| | Name: | | Fen Zhang |
| | Title: | | Director |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Fen Zhang his/her true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including pre- and post-effective amendments to this registration statement, any subsequent registration statement for the same offering which may be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and pre- or post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | | Position | | Date |
/s/ Fen Zhang | | Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial | | March 8, 2024 |
Fen Zhang | | Officer and Director | | |
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AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGISTRANT
Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, the duly undersigned representative in the United States of Eureka Acquisition Corp, has signed this registration statement in the City of New York, on March 8, 2024.
| | COGENCY GLOBAL INC. |
| | By: | | /s/ Colleen A. De Vries |
| | Name: | | Colleen A. De Vries |
| | Title: | | Senior Vice-President on behalf of Cogency Global Inc. |
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