The information contained in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. No securities may be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary 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.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 12, 2023
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$250,000,000
Churchill Capital Corp IX
25,000,000 Units
Churchill Capital Corp IX is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry.
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-quarter of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants for cash once the warrants become exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price described herein, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of amounts withdrawn to fund our working capital requirements, subject to an annual limit of $1,000,000, and to pay our taxes (“permitted withdrawals”)), divided by the number of then outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering. We will have 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering) or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate an initial business combination, which we refer to herein as the completion window. If we have not consummated an initial business combination within this time period, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price described herein, payable in cash, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Churchill Sponsor IX LLC, is an affiliate of M. Klein and Company, LLC. Our sponsor has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 650,000 private placement units (or up to 725,000 private placement units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $10.00 per unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,500,000 (or up to $7,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these units throughout this prospectus as the private placement units. Each private placement warrant contained in the private placement units is exercisable to purchase one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and will not expire except upon liquidation, as described in this prospectus. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
Our initial shareholders own 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares (up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). We refer to these Class B ordinary shares as the founder shares throughout this prospectus. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination (with such conversion taking place immediately prior to, simultaneously with, or immediately following the time of our initial business combination, as may be determined by our directors), or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment and forfeiture as provided herein. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of our ordinary shares voting at the applicable 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 applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our Class A ordinary shares and holders of our Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “CCIXU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Citigroup Global Markets Inc. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to certain conditions. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “CCIX” and “CCIXW,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See the section of this prospectus “Risk Factors ” beginning on page 40.
Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, is being or may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of our securities.
| | | | | | | | |
| | Per Unit | | | Total | |
Price to the Public | | $ | 10.00 | | | $ | 250,000,000 | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | | $ | 0.55 | | | $ | 13,750,000 | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | | $ | 9.45 | | | $ | 236,250,000 | |
(1) | | Includes $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting discounts and commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters and for a description of reimbursements for expenses the underwriters have agreed to pay us at the closing of this offering. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, $250.0 million, or $287.5 million if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be placed into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
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.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2024.
Book-Running Manager:
Citigroup
Prospectus dated , 2024.