S-1 1 d167933ds1.htm S-1 S-1
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 1, 2020

Registration No. 333-                

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware

 

6770

 

85-2738750

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

850 Library Avenue, Suite 204

Newark, Delaware 19711

(970) 315-2644

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Makram Azar, Chief Executive Officer; Scott Freidheim, Chairman of the Board

850 Library Avenue, Suite 204

Newark, Delaware 19711

(970) 315-2644

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

Alan I. Annex, Esq.

Jason T. Simon, Esq.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

1750 Tysons Boulevard

Suite 1000

McLean, VA 22102

Telephone: (703) 749-1300

  David Alan Miller, Esq.
Jeffrey M. Gallant, Esq.
Graubard Miller
The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10174
Telephone: (212) 818-8800

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer  

   Accelerated filer  

Non-accelerated filer  

   Smaller reporting company  

     Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of each Class of Security being registered    Amount being
Registered
   Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price Per
Security(1)
     Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price(1)
     Amount of
Registration Fee
 

Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable Warrant(2)

   28,750,000

Units

   $ 10.00      $ 287,500,000      $ 31,366.25  

Shares of Class A common stock included as part of the Units(3)

   28,750,000

Shares

     —          —          —  (4)  

Redeemable Warrants included as part of the Units(3)

   14,375,000
Warrants
     —          —          —  (4)  
        

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

         $ 287,500,000      $ 31,366.25  
        

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)   Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.
(2)   Includes 3,750,000 Units, consisting of 3,750,000 shares of Class A common stock and 1,875,000 Redeemable Warrants underlying such Units, which may be issued on exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriter.
(3)   Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from share splits, share capitalizations or similar transactions.
(4)   No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act of 1933.

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 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 preliminary 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 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.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS   SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED   DECEMBER 1, 2020

 

Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

$250,000,000

25,000,000 Units

Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination, with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as a target business. We have not selected any specific target business and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any target business regarding a business combination with our company.

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock 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 on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants once the warrants become exercisable. 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 stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding shares of Class A common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares throughout this prospectus, subject to the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.

Our sponsor, Golden Falcon Sponsor Group, LLC, has agreed that it will purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate, or $7,750,000 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 warrants as the private placement warrants throughout this prospectus. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.

Our initial stockholders own an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock (up to an aggregate of 937,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). We refer to these shares of Class B common stock as the founder shares throughout this prospectus. The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein.

Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “GFX.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot assure you that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. We expect that our units will be listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect that the Class A common stock 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 UBS Securities LLC and Moelis & Co., the representatives of the underwriters in this offering, inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “GFX” and “GFX WS,” respectively. We cannot assure you that any of our securities will continue to be listed on the NYSE after this offering.

We are an “emerging growth company” and “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 entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 45 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

      Per Unit      Total  
Public offering price    $ 10.00      $ 250,000,000  
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)    $   0.55      $ 13,750,000  
Proceeds, before expenses, to Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.    $ 9.45      $ 236,250,000  

 

(1)   Includes $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the representative of the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the representatives of the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.

Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $250.0 million, or $287.5 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2.0 million will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our charter or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders.

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    , 2020.

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

UBS Investment Bank    Moelis & Co.

Lead Manager

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

    , 2020


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We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the underwriters take responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or the date specified herein.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

     Page  

Summary

     1  

Risk factors

     45  

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

     85  

Use of proceeds

     86  

Dividend policy

     91  

Dilution

     92  

Capitalization

     94  

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

     95  

Proposed business

     102  

Management

     133  

Principal stockholders

     147  

Certain relationships and related party transactions

     150  

Description of securities

     153  

United States federal income tax considerations

     172  

Underwriting

     183  

Legal matters

     191  

Experts

     191  

Where you can find additional information

     191  

Index to Financial Statements

     F-1  

 

Trademarks

This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.

 

 

 

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Summary

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.

Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, references to:

 

Ø  

“certificate of incorporation” are to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be in effect as of the date of this prospectus;

 

Ø  

“common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively;

 

Ø  

“company,” “our,” “we” or “us” are to Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.;

 

Ø  

“equity-linked securities” are to any securities of our company that are convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock of our company;

 

Ø  

“founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock outstanding as of this offering and the shares of our Class A common stock that may be issued upon the conversion thereof as described herein;

 

Ø  

“initial stockholders” are to our sponsor and the other holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;

 

Ø  

“management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors (including our director nominees who will become directors in connection with the consummation of this offering);

 

Ø  

“private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering;

 

Ø  

“public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);

 

Ø  

“public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial stockholders and members of our management team to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that each initial stockholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares;

 

Ø  

“public warrants” are to (1) our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and (2) any private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans that are transferred to third parties that are not our sponsor or its permitted transferees following the consummation of our initial business combination;

 

Ø  

“Representatives” are to UBS Securities LLC and Moelis & Co., as representatives of the several underwriters of this offering;

 

Ø  

“specified future issuance” are to an issuance of a class of equity or equity-linked securities to certain purchasers, which may include affiliates of our management team, that we may determine to make in connection with financing our initial business combination;

 

Ø  

“sponsor” is to Golden Falcon Sponsor Group, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; and

 

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Ø  

“warrants” are to our public warrants and private placement warrants, as well as any warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans upon consummation of our initial business combination, collectively.

Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our initial stockholders of an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares.

 

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Proposed business

GENERAL

We are a newly organized Delaware corporation structured as a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities and activities related to this offering. We have not selected any potential business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential target regarding entering into a business combination with us.

We will seek to leverage our management team’s proprietary global network of strong relationships with private equity sponsors, entrepreneurs, venture and growth capital funds, family offices, large corporations, sovereign wealth funds and their owners and most senior officers to identify, structure, finance, acquire and support the operation of a business combination target. In pursuing our strategy we will take advantage of our management team’s extensive experience in investing in and operating businesses across a wide range of sectors and geographies.

While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on companies operating in the technology, media, telecommunications (“TMT”) and fintech sectors that are headquartered in Europe, Israel, the Middle East or North America.

We believe that this combination of relationships, experience and expertise puts us in a strong position to source an attractive target and complete an initial business combination and makes us a preferred partner for potential business combination targets.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Makram Azar, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, has over 30 years of investment banking and private equity experience. Mr. Azar is Chief Executive Officer and director of Full Circle Capital Limited, a private investment and advisory group, which he founded in 2019. Since 2019, Mr. Azar has also served as Chief Executive Officer and director of Full Circle Capital Services Limited (“Full Circle Capital”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Full Circle Capital Limited. Previously, from 2010 to 2019, he was at Barclays Bank PLC, where among other roles, he served as Chairman of Banking EMEA and Chairman of Barclays Bank PLC, MENA. Since 2019, he has continued his relationship with Barclays Bank PLC, serving as Senior Advisor. Before this, Mr. Azar served as Managing Director and Head of MENA for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (“KKR”) from 2008 to 2010. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Azar had spent 18 years at Lehman Brothers, latterly as Global Head of Sovereign Wealth Funds and Chairman of Media Investment Banking EMEA. Previously he led the Media, Consumer & Retail Investment Banking businesses of Lehman Brothers in EMEA. Mr. Azar has completed over 200 M&A, equity capital markets, debt capital markets and private equity deals with an aggregate value in excess of $350 billion, across a broad spectrum of geographies and industries, including TMT, consumer, sustainable energy, retail, hospitality, financial services, industrials and real estate. His clients have included some of the largest institutional investors, multinational corporations, sovereign wealth funds and governments. Mr. Azar holds a BA in Applied Economics from the University Paris-IX Dauphine and a Master’s degree in Management and Finance from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris.

 

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Scott J. Freidheim, our Chairman and a member of our board of directors, is the Managing Partner at Freidheim Capital and Co-Chairman of ettain group. Mr. Freidheim has experience as a NYSE traded company Chief Executive Officer and as a board member for profit and not-for-profit institutions. He has served on senior leadership teams across multiple industries including financial services, mass merchandising, brand management, private equity, engineering and staffing, including serving on the global executive committees of Lehman Brothers (Chief Administrative Officer), Investcorp (CEO, Europe), Sears Holdings Corporation (Executive Vice President, Operating & Support Businesses, and President Kenmore, Craftsman & Diehard) and CDI Corporation (Chief Executive Officer) and serving on the boards of ettain group (Charlotte, NC, USA), N+W Global Vending (Milan, Italy), Icopal (Herlev, Denmark), GL Education (London, England) and Lands’ End (Dodgeville, WI, USA). He has also served on the boards of directors of several not-for-profit institutions including: Institute of International Education (NYC, NY, USA), which administers the Fulbright Scholarship program and Spelman College (Atlanta, GA, USA). Mr. Freidheim is a member of The Economic Club of New York and The Council on Foreign Relations. In 2005, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) and was a member of the WEF’s inaugural Global Agenda Council. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Foundation (Colorado Springs, CO, USA). Mr. Freidheim holds a BA from Northwestern University and a Master’s degree in Management with concentration in Finance from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Eli Muraidekh, our Chief Financial Officer and a member of our board of directors, is Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Telamon Capital, a credit opportunity fund founded in 2014. Prior to this, from 2009 to 2014, Mr. Muraidekh was the Investment Manager at Windmill Hill Asset Management. While there, Mr. Muraidekh managed the assets of the philanthropic foundations of Lord Jacob Rothschild totaling over $2.0 billion. He invested across multiple asset classes globally, ranking the endowment in the top five percentile of over 400 endowments tracked by Cambridge Associates. Previously, Mr. Muraidekh was Executive Director of the Value Recovery Fund at Blue Bay Asset Management, leading financial and operational restructurings on behalf of this distressed debt fund. Prior to that, Mr. Muraidekh was Co-Founder of Elwin Capital Partners a growth capital private equity fund, and Executive Director of the Principal Investment Area of Goldman Sachs, evaluating and executing investment opportunities for GS Capital Partners, GS Mezzanine Partners and Whitehall Real Estate Partners, which were, at the time, all of the firm’s major long-term investment vehicles. Mr. Muraidekh holds a BA in Economics summa cum laude from Yale University, where he graduated first in his class, and an MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School.

John M. Basnage de Beauval, our General Counsel and Secretary, is Managing Director of Full Circle Capital Limited. From February 2018 to March 2020, Mr. Basnage de Beauval served as Founder and Managing Partner of Anthem Legal Services LLC, an advisory firm that provided legal and commercial advice to financial institutions and other companies. Prior to joining Full Circle Capital, Mr. Basnage de Beauval co-founded and was a partner at Epena Law from October 2019 to March 2020, where he provided legal advice in connection with structuring private equity investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this, Mr. Basnage de Beauval spent more than 25 years advising on capital markets, M&A and private equity transactions in New York, London and Paris, most recently, from November 2003 to February 2018, as a partner at Hogan Lovells, where he headed the US corporate securities practice in London, and was co-head of equity capital markets in Europe. Mr. Basnage de Beauval has advised acquirors and targets on numerous large and complex cross-border M&A transactions and has written extensively on the subject. Before joining Hogan Lovells, he practiced at Freshfields from 1996 to 2001 and Rogers & Wells from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Basnage de Beauval received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, where he was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa, and has law degrees from Oxford University and Columbia University. He completed an executive leadership course at Stanford University School of Business.

 

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Xavier Rolet, KBE will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. From January 2019 to January 2020, Mr. Rolet served as Chief Executive Officer of CQS, a global hedge fund. Previously, from 2009 to 2018, Mr. Rolet was the Chief Executive Officer of the London Stock Exchange (“LSE”). Mr. Rolet was named as one of the 100 Best CEOs in the World in the 2017 Harvard Business Review. In his decade at the helm of the LSE, the LSE’s market valuation rose from £800 million to more than £15 billion. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Phosagro PJSC, Chairman of the Board of Shore Capital Markets, a member of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School, a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), an External Director—Portfolio Companies of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a Non Executive Member of the Board of Seplat Petroleum Development Cy Plc, an Expert Adviser to the Shanghai Institute of Finance for the Real Economy (SIFRE), a Member of the Senior Advisory Board at Towerbrook Capital Partners LP, and a Founder and Director of a number of other privately held companies. He has held various senior positions in the financial services industry throughout his career, including Chief Executive Officer of Banque Lehman Brothers in Paris; co-head of Global Equity & Derivatives Trading at Lehman Brothers New York; Global Head of Risk and Trading at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein; Vice-President, International Equity Risk Arbitrage at Goldman Sachs New York; and co-Head of European Equities Sales and Trading at Goldman Sachs International Ltd. in London. Mr. Rolet holds an MSc from the KEDGE Business School, an MBA from Columbia Business School and a post-graduate degree from Paris-based IHEDN (Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defense).

Dominique D’Hinnin will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. D’Hinnin is chairman of the board of EUTELSAT Communications, a French satellite service company. He is also a board member of PRISA, the world’s leading Spanish and Portuguese-language media group, EDENRED, a French Corporate Services Company, Technicolor, a French technology Company, and Louis Delhaize SA, a Belgium private retail group. Mr. D’Hinnin was formerly a board member of EADS-Airbus, the Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Canal+ France, Vice Chairman at Atari, and he sat on the Strategic Council at PricewaterhouseCoopers France. From 2009 to 2016, Mr. D’Hinnin served as Co-Managing Partner of Lagardère Group. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer of Lagardère Group, Executive Vice President of Grolier Inc., where he undertook the overhaul and development of Grolier in the U.S., UK and Asia, and the launch of Grolier Interactive Europe, and Chief Financial Officer of the publisher Hachette Livre, following his active role in the financial and legal restructuring of the Lagardère Group where he oversaw the merger of Matra with Hachette. Mr. D’Hinnin has also held board positions at Marie Claire Album, Holding Evelyne Prouvost, Editions Amaury, and Le Monde. Mr. D’Hinnin received his undergraduate degree from École Normale Supérieure (in classical culture) and a graduate degree from Ecole Nationale d’Administration, the premier graduate school in the country which the majority of government and private sector leaders attend.

I. Martin Pompadur will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Pompadur is currently an investor and advisor to various companies, and a board member of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc., both publicly traded companies. Previously, from 2009 to 2016, he served as Global Vice Chairman, Media and Entertainment at Macquarie Capital, an investment bank and financial services company. From 1998 to 2008, Mr. Pompadur held several positions at News Corporation, a multinational mass media corporation, including Executive Vice President of News Corporation, President of News Corporation Eastern and Central Europe and a member of News Corporation’s Executive Management Committee. In January 2000, Mr. Pompadur was appointed Chairman of News Corporation Europe. In 1985, as advisor to News Corporation, Mr. Pompadur helped acquire for News Corporation the Metromedia television station group and wrote the business plan for the start-up of the Fox Television Network. From 1982 to 2007, Mr. Pompadur was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

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of RP Media Management which operated 12 television stations, 25 radio stations and numerous cable television systems totaling 500,000 subscribers. From 1977 to 1982, Mr. Pompadur served as President of Ziff Corporation, then a holding company for Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Prior to that, from 1960 to 1977, Mr. Pompadur worked at American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (“ABC, Inc.”) where he held several positions, including General Manager of the Television Network, Vice President of the Broadcast Division, President of the Leisure Activities Group and Vice President of ABC, Inc. Mr. Pompadur was also previously a Managing General Partner at Northeastern Television Investors LP and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GP Station Partners and of Multivision Cable TV. Mr. Pompadur previously served as a director of IMAX Corporation and Truli Media Group, Inc., both publicly traded companies, and as a director of ABC. Inc, BSkyB, Sky Italia, Premier World, Fox Kids Europe, Metromedia International and Elong. Mr. Pompadur holds a BA from Williams College and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Isabelle Amiel Azoulai will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Ms. Azoulai is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at La Maison SA, a private equity and venture capital investment group formed in 2014, where she has led more than 50 direct technology-focused investments in Israel, the United States, Europe and China. Ms. Azoulai also serves as the personal advisor to several ultra-high net worth European entrepreneurs. From 2014 to 2019, Ms. Azoulai was also a Senior Banker and Partner at Banque Leonardo, SA, a banking company. Ms. Azoulai was formerly an investment partner at Credit Suisse, where she managed the Ultra High Net Worth Individuals department. Prior to that, she managed the investment consulting department of Credit Suisse Private Banking in Paris. Ms. Azoulai is a founding member of the benefit committee of Institut Imagine, the French institute for genetic diseases. Ms. Azoulai holds a Master’s degree in Business from Lincoln International Business School.

Mikael Breuer-Weil will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Breuer-Weil co-founded Marylebone Partners LLP, an investment management boutique, in September 2013 and served as founding partner and Chief Investment Officer until March 2020, when he stepped down from his executive roles. Previously, from 1994 to 2012, he was the Principal Investment Adviser to philanthropic and family foundations connected to Lord Jacob Rothschild, and in 2007 became Investment Director for RIT Capital Partners plc, an investment trust with a current market value of approximately £2.8 billion. Additionally, he has held various non-executive and investment advisory roles and he remains an adviser to a number of charitable and family organizations. Mr. Breuer-Weil started his career at Mercury Asset Management in 1986 and worked as a fund manager including a period of secondment with Odyssey Partners LLP in New York. Mr. Breuer-Weil graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in law.

The past performance of our management team and strategic advisory group is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their respective affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that can benefit from: (i) the global capital markets and operating experience of our management team and strategic advisory group, (ii) additional capital to achieve its growth strategy and (iii) access to public securities markets.

 

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Our management team has access to a wide range of companies operating in TMT and fintech sectors that are headquartered in Europe, Israel, the Middle East or North America.

Our executive officers’ combined experience includes over 100 years of investment banking, private equity and executive management experience and over 440 transactions with an aggregate value of over $550 billion globally. Our management team’s network has been developed through its:

 

Ø  

experience in sourcing, structuring, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling businesses;

 

Ø  

relationships with business owners, financing providers and target management teams; and

 

Ø  

extensive experience in both investing in and operating businesses across a wide range of sectors.

Our management team will leverage these capabilities, networks and expertise together with those of our strategic advisory group.

We have chosen our independent board members and established a strategic advisory group for the purposes of assisting our executive officers with sourcing and evaluating business combination opportunities and developing plans and strategies to optimize any business that we acquire.

Our independent board members have been selected for their extensive sector and geographic expertise, operating experience, access to proprietary deal flow, strong relationships with business leaders and entrepreneurs and their ability to source an attractive target and assist us in implementing our business combination strategy. They have held senior leadership positions with companies where they have a proven strong track record of creating shareholder value, organically and through transformational acquisitions or corporate restructurings, as well as extensive relationships with owners and operators of companies within their respective industries.

Our strategic advisory group consists of individuals who have complementary sourcing and operational expertise in our sectors of focus. Specifically, they have experience in:

 

Ø  

operating companies, devising and implementing strategies and identifying, monitoring and recruiting world-class talent;

 

Ø  

developing and growing companies organically by expanding their product range and geographic footprint;

 

Ø  

acquiring companies, leading transformational transactions or corporate restructurings and managing corporate integration with success;

 

Ø  

investing in equity and fixed income assets in both public and private markets across various sectors, jurisdictions and economic cycles; and

 

Ø  

developing and maintaining extensive relationships with owners and operators of companies, as well as with a wide range of financial and legal advisers.

Our strategic advisory group currently includes:

 

Ø  

Francois Barrault, Chairman & Founder, FDB Partners; formerly CEO, BT Global Services; President, BT International; President & CEO, Lucent EMEA; CEO, Lucent Mobile International; Founder, DigiWorld Summit;

 

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Joseph Berardino, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal; formerly Partner, Arthur Andersen; CEO, Andersen Worldwide;

 

 

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Ø  

Matthew Bronfman, Chairman & CEO, BHB Holdings; Chairman, Lincoln Avenue Capital; formerly Chairman, Bronfman Rothschild; Partner, ACI Capital;

 

Ø  

David Gardner, OBE, Co-founder and General Partner of London Venture Partners; formerly CEO of Atari; Executive Vice President of Electronic Arts; Board of Directors of Embracer Group and Double Loop Games;

 

Ø  

Arjun Gupta, founder and managing partner of TeleSoft Partners; Chairman, Nexant Inc.; Chairman, Calient Technologies Inc.; Board of Directors of Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd; Board of Directors of L&T Technology Services Limited;

 

Ø  

Travis Katz, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Redpoint Ventures; formerly Vice President of Products, Skyscanner; Co-Founder & CEO, Trip.com; Co-Founder, Fox Interactive Media;

 

Ø  

Gerrit Meier, Global CEO, Red Bull Media Network; Managing Director, Red Bull Media House; formerly President, International WWE; Global General Manager for Distribution and Partnerships, Spotify; COO, iHeartMedia’s Digital Division;

 

Ø  

Tom Mockridge, former CEO, Virgin Media; Deputy Chairman, BSkyB; CEO, News Corp UK & Ireland; CEO, European TV News Corp; CEO, Sky Italia; Chairman, Star TV;

 

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Lionel de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Board Member and Chairman of the Strategic Committee, China Development Financial Holdings; CEO & Chairman, Investment Committee of CDIB Capital; and

 

Ø  

Kenneth I. Tuchman, former Vice-Chairman, Bank of Montreal; Vice-Chairman, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Co-Head Global M&A, Lehman Brothers; Chairman, Global Americas, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

We may add additional members to the strategic advisory group from time to time. Unlike our management team, members of our strategic advisory group are not responsible for managing our day-to-day affairs and have no authority to engage in substantive discussions with business combination targets on our behalf. Members of our strategic advisory group will not be paid, but may be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them, in connection with the search for business combination targets before or after the consummation of our initial business combination. We have not currently entered into any formal arrangements or agreements with the members of our strategic advisory group to provide services to us and they will have no fiduciary obligations to present business opportunities to us.

To align the incentives of members of the strategic advisory group with our stockholders, a majority of the members of the strategic advisory group will invest in our sponsor and be eligible to share in a portion of the appreciation in founder shares and private placement warrants, provided that we successfully complete a business combination.

We believe that the combination of our management team and strategic advisory group is an innovative approach to identifying potential high quality business combination targets and aligns incentives with our stockholders, providing us with distinctive and differentiated capabilities to create stockholder value.

We will have access to the advisory and other resources and strategic capabilities of Full Circle Capital, which we believe will give us a competitive advantage in our acquisition strategy and our ability to identify and implement value creation initiatives. Full Circle Capital was founded by Makram Azar in 2019 as a private investment and advisory group that provides financial and strategic advice to key partners and select clients within its network, leveraging its global reach and experience across a broad range of sectors and geographies, to source direct principal investment opportunities across the spectrum of private equity, including venture and buy-outs, in the UK, continental Europe, North America and the Middle East, with an emphasis on cross-sector tech, media, telecom, consumer and impact and sustainability.

 

 

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In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises.

We have strong relationships on both sides of the Atlantic and believe that the networks and experience of our management team and strategic advisory group provide us with specific competitive advantages over other blank check companies in sourcing attractive targets based in Europe, Israel or the Middle East. We believe that these regions provide a compelling market opportunity for the following reasons:

 

Ø  

Attractive valuation:    stocks in these markets tend to trade at lower valuations, enhancing the multiple arbitrage available by listing the target in the U.S.;

 

Ø  

Underpenetrated:    equity markets in Europe, Israel and the Middle East are comparatively more thinly capitalized relative to the U.S. in terms of GDP, suggesting a large number of high-quality private companies that could benefit from going public; furthermore, there have been comparatively few business combinations between U.S.-listed blank check companies and targets located in Europe, Israel and the Middle East – just 18, compared to 110 with U.S. targets, from January 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020;

 

Ø  

Underrepresented:     Europe is second only to China as an exporter of goods and services to the U.S., reflecting substantial economic output and a nexus to the U.S., whereas relatively few European companies have completed initial public offerings in the U.S.;

 

Ø  

Our knowledge and experience:    our executive officers, board of directors and strategic advisory group have substantial experience in, and relationships with, the most senior decision makers across these regions, which we believe gives us substantially greater access to opportunities;

 

Ø  

Access to family or founder owned businesses:    we have strong ties with prominent families (particularly, but not exclusively, based in Europe, Israel and the Middle East) and have a history of working constructively and collaboratively with family and founder-owned businesses, which is a point of differentiation in negotiating a business combination with these companies.

 

Ø  

Technology and innovation:    these regions have emerged as technology hubs in their own right, outside of Silicon Valley; for instance, there are currently over 60 “unicorns” – private companies valued at $1 billion or more – based in Europe, Israel and the Middle East;

 

Ø  

US stock exchanges’ increasing attractiveness:    over 200 companies from Europe, Israel and the Middle East have their primary listings on NYSE or Nasdaq, compared to fewer than 20 in 2010; and

 

Ø  

Limited competition:    our on-the-ground presence in Europe as well as well as our knowledge of, relationships in, and experience investing in, Europe, Israel and the Middle East are key differentiators for us as compared to other blank check companies, the majority of which we believe are seeking business combinations exclusively in the U.S.

Upon completion of this offering, our management team and strategic advisory group will communicate with their network of relationships to articulate our initial business combination criteria, including the parameters of our search for a target business, and will begin the disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads.

BUSINESS COMBINATION CRITERIA

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating business combination opportunities, although we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.

 

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We view ourselves as rigorous, disciplined and valuation-centric investors, with a keen understanding of market value, upside and potential downside risks.

Ø  

Business with significant revenue and earnings growth potential.    We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that we believe will have multiple organic and M&A-driven growth opportunities over time and are well positioned to take advantage of secular, macroeconomic and credit trends, endure economic downturns, changes in the industry landscape and respond to evolving customer, supplier and competitor preferences. We will search for attractive, growth-oriented businesses that exhibit sound, underlying fundamentals as well as demonstrated revenue growth and an existing or a clear path to attractive profitability. This includes such potential targets that are currently, or have the potential to be, category leaders with long-term growth potential.

 

Ø  

Targets that can benefit from our relationships and experience.    While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on our management team’s domain expertise acquired through decades of strategic deal-making in our targeted sectors. We believe our management team’s deep network of senior management, owners of businesses, board relationships and sophisticated private and public market investors give us a number of competitive advantages and present us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. Our management team will leverage the broad spectrum of skills and expertise of our strategic advisory group, all of whom have extensive deal making, management and operational experience. We believe our team represents an exceptionally attractive combination of investing, capital markets, and operational experience that potential combination candidates will find highly desirable and complementary to their growth plans and will have the potential to substantially enhance shareholder value.

 

Ø  

Companies with potential to benefit from the fourth industrial revolution.    We will seek to acquire one or more businesses which currently, or have the potential to, benefit from digital disruption positioning them to disintermediate or disrupt in their industry vertical, driven by the exponential increase in data generation, advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, rising processing power and/or ubiquitous global connectivity through smartphones, among other technologies. The technological impact of COVID-19 has been to accelerate trends that were already underway before the pandemic arose, including in the areas of remote working and learning, migration to cloud computing and productivity, mobile and interactive entertainment and transition from brick-and-mortar businesses to e-commerce. We believe that these trends are generating a significant market opportunity across our areas of focus in TMT and fintech.

 

Ø  

Businesses with a strong transatlantic nexus.    We intend to focus on companies in Europe, Israel and the Middle East whose current or future businesses have a nexus to the United States. These companies would benefit from having access to the deep public capital markets in the U.S. associated with a listing on the NYSE and access to capital to pursue accretive acquisitions, fund capital projects, pursue their growth strategies and/or strengthen their balances sheets. At the same time, we believe we are an attractive partner for those companies headquartered in North America seeking access and growth in Europe, Israel and the Middle East as we leverage our relationships with corporate customers and business partners to help expand their geographical footprint.

These criteria and guidelines 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 criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our stockholder communications related to our initial business

 

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combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC. In addition to any potential business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds, and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.

INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

Pursuant to the NYSE listing rules, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Additionally, pursuant to the NYSE rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE, these rules will not be applicable to us.

We may, at our option, pursue an acquisition opportunity jointly with members of our management team (or their affiliates), which we refer to as an “Affiliated Joint Acquisition.” Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by undertaking a specified future issuance to such parties.

The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance. Pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of our Class B common stock, any such specified future issuance would result in an adjustment to the conversion ratio such that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees, if any, would retain their aggregate percentage ownership at 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all shares issued in the specified future issuance (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial business combination), unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agreed to waive such adjustment with respect to the specified future issuance at the time thereof. We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B common stock at the time of any such specified future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. If such adjustment is not waived, the specified future issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B common stock, but would reduce the percentage ownership of our public stockholders. If such adjustment is waived, the specified future issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our common stock.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to us from a financial point of view.

 

 

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Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants 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 is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Our officers have agreed not to become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company that has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Our executive offices are located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711 and our telephone number is (970) 315-2644.

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 stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual

 

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gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of Class A common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

 

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The offering

In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”

 

Securities offered

25,000,000 units (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:

 

  Ø  

one share of Class A common stock; and

 

  Ø  

one-half of one redeemable warrant.

 

Proposed NYSE symbols

Units: “GFX.U”

 

  Class A Common Stock: “GFX”

 

  Warrants: “GFX WS”

 

Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants

The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock 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 the Representatives inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.

 

  Additionally, we expect that the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.

 

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Separate trading of the Class A common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K

In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

Units:

 

 

Number outstanding before this offering

0

 

Number outstanding after this offering

25,000,000(1)

 

Common stock:

 

 

Number outstanding before this offering

7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock(2)(3)

 

Number outstanding after this offering

31,250,000 shares of common stock, consisting of: 25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and

6,250,000 shares of Class B common stock(1)(3)

 

Redeemable Warrants:

 

 

Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering

7,000,000(1)

 

Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement

19,500,000(1)

 

(1)   Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our initial stockholders of an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares.
(2)   Includes up to an aggregate of 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(3)   The shares of common stock included in the units are Class A common stock. Founder shares are classified as shares of Class B common stock, which shares are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution.”

 

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Exercisability

Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We structured each unit to contain one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of our Class A common stock, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination as compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses.

 

Exercise price

$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our shares of Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued

 

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Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per-share redemption trigger prices described adjacent to “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively.

 

Exercise period

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:

 

  Ø  

30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and

 

  Ø  

12 months from the closing of this offering;

 

  provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws or the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement).

 

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our reasonable best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed; provided that, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies

 

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the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.

 

  The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.

 

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00

Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):

 

  Ø  

in whole and not in part;

 

  Ø  

at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

  Ø  

upon a minimum of 30 days prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and

 

  Ø  

if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing once the warrants become

 

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exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

  We will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants.

 

 

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” of our Class A common stock for this purpose shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Please see the section of this prospectus

 

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entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.

 

  None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as set forth under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.

 

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00

Commencing ninety days after the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:

 

  Ø  

in whole and not in part;

 

  Ø  

at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock to be determined by reference to the table set forth under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants” based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described in “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants”;

 

  Ø  

if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders;

 

  Ø  

if, and only if, the private placement warrants are also concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above; and

 

  Ø  

if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock (or a security other than the Class A common stock into which the Class A common stock has been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the

 

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surviving company in our initial business combination) issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given.

 

  The “fair market value” of our Class A common stock for this purpose shall mean the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings.

 

  No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise in connection with any redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round up to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. Please see “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.

 

Founder shares

In September 2020, we issued 7,187,500 founder shares for a purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share. In November 2020, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 150,000 founder shares to our independent director nominees. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. As such, our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of

 

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this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised so that the number of founder shares will remain equal to 20% of our common stock after this offering.

 

  The founder shares are designated as Class B common stock and are identical to the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:

 

  Ø  

the founder shares are shares of Class B common stock that will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock 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 pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein;

 

  Ø  

the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;

 

  Ø  

our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder

 

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shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (an “Extension Period”), 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;

 

  Ø  

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination; and

 

  Ø  

the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.

 

Transfer restrictions on founder shares

Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares, and any Class A common stock issued upon conversion thereof, until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except to certain permitted transferees and under certain circumstances as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.

 

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Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights

The founder shares are designated as shares of our Class B common stock and will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock 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 for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as described herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, including pursuant to a specified future issuance, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including pursuant to a specified future issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial business combination).

 

Voting

Holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by law. Each share of common stock will have one vote on all such matters.

 

Private placement warrants

Our sponsor has agreed, pursuant to a written agreement, that it will purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 private placement warrants (or 7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to

 

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adjustment as provided herein, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate or $7,750,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to limited exceptions.

 

  A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $250.0 million (or $287.5 million 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 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants 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 warrants will expire worthless.

 

  The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable (except as set forth under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.

 

Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants

The private placement warrants (and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).

 

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Cashless exercise of private placement warrants

In addition to the cashless exercise described above adjacent to “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00,” if holders of private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “private warrant fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the private warrant fair market value. The “private warrant fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent.

 

  The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could sell the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.

 

Proceeds to be held in trust account

The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $250,000,000, or $10.00 per unit ($287,500,000, or $10.00 per unit, if the

 

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underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be placed into a U.S.-based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. These proceeds include $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. The funds in the trust account will be held as cash or invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds.

 

  Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. 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 stockholders.

 

Anticipated expenses and funding sources

Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes and in connection with redemptions of our public shares in connection with certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in

 

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the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be held as cash or invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. Based upon a current interest rate of 0.1%, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $250,000 of interest annually.

 

  Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from:

 

  Ø  

the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,000,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and

 

  Ø  

any loans or additional investments from our initial stockholders, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties (which may be converted into warrants upon consummation of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus), although they are under no obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination.

 

Conditions to completing our initial business combination

There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately, including pursuant to any specified future issuance, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Pursuant to the NYSE listing rules, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred

 

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underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination.

 

  If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. Additionally, pursuant to the NYSE rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

 

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 stockholders or for other reasons, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test,

 

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provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.

 

Permitted purchases of, and other transactions with respect to, our securities by our affiliates

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of our securities that may be purchased in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of the NYSE. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. 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. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction

 

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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 be required to comply with such rules.

 

Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their 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, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the Representatives. The redemption rights may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination and certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.

 

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Manner of conducting redemptions

We will provide our public stockholders 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 stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder 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 otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval under stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval, while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval.

 

  If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation:

 

  Ø  

conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and

 

  Ø  

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 and our initial stockholders will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.

 

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  In the event that we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternative business combination.

 

  If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will:

 

  Ø  

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

 

  Ø  

file proxy materials with the SEC.

 

 

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any

 

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public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to their founder shares, we would need only 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). However, because we generally only need a majority of the outstanding shares to be voted in favor of a proposed business combination to have such transaction approved, the number of public shares needed to be voted in favor of any transaction decreases as the overall number of public shares voted decreases. Accordingly, we would need only 1,562,501, or approximately 6.3%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction if only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised).

 

  Pursuant to Delaware law, we will not give less than 10 days nor more than 60 days prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.

 

 

We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. The proxy materials that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such

 

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delivery requirements. If the proposed business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public stockholders who elected to redeem their shares.

 

  Our certificate of incorporation will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and instead may search for an alternative business combination.

 

Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold stockholder vote

Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming

 

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its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to herein as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ 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 stockholders 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 stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.

 

Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our certificate of incorporation

Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain charter provisions. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, or

 

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applicable stock exchange listing requirements. We may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof, prior to our initial business combination, to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20.0% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to letter agreements with us that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have also agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within

 

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24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.

 

Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination

On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be disbursed directly by the trustee or released to us to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the Representatives their deferred underwriting commissions, 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, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other assets, companies or for working capital.

 

Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination

Our certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses),

 

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divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering.

 

  Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if they acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering.

 

  The Representatives have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.

 

Limited payments to insiders

There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our initial stockholders, 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 initial stockholders, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this

 

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offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

 

  Ø  

Repayment of an aggregate of up to $200,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor under a note to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;

 

  Ø  

Payments to an affiliate of our sponsor of up to $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for certain administrative, research, transaction and other support services;

 

  Ø  

Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination;

 

  Ø  

Repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made to us to finance working capital and transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants; and

 

  Ø  

At the closing of our initial business combination, we may pay customary financial consulting fees. We may pay such financial consulting fees in the event our initial stockholders, officers, directors, sponsor or members of our strategic advisory group provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present conflicts of interest. We would disclose any such fee in the proxy or tender offer materials used in connection with a proposed business combination.

 

 

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  Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.

 

Audit Committee

We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to 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 of this prospectus entitled “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.”

 

Conflicts of Interest

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

 

Indemnity

Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement,

 

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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 amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, nor will the underwriters of this offering. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

RISKS

Summary of Risk Factors

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. 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 materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

 

Ø  

We are a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

 

Ø  

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.”

 

 

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Ø  

Our public stockholders 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 stockholders do not support such a combination.

 

Ø  

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the business combination.

 

Ø  

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote their shares in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

 

Ø  

The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential target businesses, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.

 

Ø  

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination, if at all, or optimize our capital structure.

 

Ø  

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 limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

 

Ø  

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

Ø  

Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.

 

Ø  

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into certain transactions, including purchasing shares or warrants from the public, which may influence the outcome of a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.

 

Ø  

If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.

 

Ø  

You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

Ø  

The NYSE 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.

 

Ø  

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

 

Ø  

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

 

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unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

Ø  

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, 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 and to complete our initial business combination.

 

Ø  

The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the shares of our Class A common stock, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.

 

Ø  

Unlike some other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of our Class A common stock if we issue shares to complete an initial business combination.

 

Ø  

Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us (and they may also become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company) and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

 

Ø  

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.

 

SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.

 

      September 3, 2020  

Balance Sheet Data:

  

Working capital (deficiency)

   $ (30,422

Total assets

   $ 80,000  

Total liabilities

   $ 55,422  

Stockholder’s equity

   $ 24,578  

If no business combination is completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period.

 

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Risk factors

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR SEARCH FOR, CONSUMMATION OF, OR INABILITY TO CONSUMMATE, A BUSINESS COMBINATION AND POST-BUSINESS COMBINATION RISKS

We are a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We are a newly formed company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through 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 with our company and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

As of September 3, 2020, we had $25,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of $30,422. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.

Our public stockholders 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 stockholders do not support such a combination.

We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. Except as required by applicable law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval under stock exchange listing requirements. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.

 

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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote their shares in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to their founder shares, we would need only 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). However, because we generally only need a majority of the outstanding shares to be voted in favor of a proposed business combination to have such transaction approved, the number of public shares needed to be voted in favor of any transaction decreases as the overall number of public shares voted decreases. Accordingly, we would need only 1,562,501, or 6.3%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction if only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). Our initial stockholders will own shares representing at least 20.0% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial stockholders, officers and directors agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the 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 any target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination.

The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential target businesses, 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 stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition, each as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search

 

 

 

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for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination, if at all, or optimize our capital structure.

At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the Representatives will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.

Additionally, if our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.

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 limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence. As a result, we may be forced to enter into an agreement for an initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected had we had more time to complete a transaction.

 

 

 

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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders 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 stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into certain transactions, including purchasing shares or warrants from the public, which may influence the outcome of a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke

 

 

 

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their prior elections to redeem their shares. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. 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. The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) 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 common stock or warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, 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 and to complete our initial business combination.

The funds available to us outside of the trust account to fund our working capital requirements may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our sponsor will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we expect to 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 or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into 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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1,000,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital

 

 

 

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requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,000,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,000,000, 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 initial stockholders, management team or other third parties to operate, or we may be forced to liquidate. None of our initial stockholders, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us in such circumstances. If we do not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business, we may not be able to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.

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 the price of our securities, 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 identify all material issues that may be present with 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 stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

 

 

 

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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:

 

Ø  

restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

Ø  

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:

 

Ø  

registration as an investment company with the SEC;

 

Ø  

adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

Ø  

reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to.

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of an initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still

 

 

 

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have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders 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 stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.

If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such 24 months before redemption from our trust account.

If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of the interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we complete our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete our initial business combination.

Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of this offering (or the end of any Extension Period) in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

 

 

 

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Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.

In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

 

Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic area nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations.

We will not, under our certificate of incorporation, be permitted to complete our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we

 

 

 

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cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition 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 target business. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders 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 stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.

We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a private company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, 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 the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition 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

 

 

 

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adversely impact a target business. We may also seek to complete our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

We may not obtain an opinion from an independent valuation provider, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders 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 stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.

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 stockholders’ 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

 

 

 

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per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

 

Ø  

default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

 

Ø  

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;

 

Ø  

our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;

 

Ø  

our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;

 

Ø  

our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

 

Ø  

using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;

 

Ø  

limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

Ø  

increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;

 

Ø  

limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and

 

Ø  

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 warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.

Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, up to $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes $8,750,000, or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).

We may complete 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 complete our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the

 

 

 

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resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

 

Ø  

solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or

 

Ø  

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 seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.

We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.

 

 

 

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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 our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own less than 100% of the outstanding 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 business sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In such cases, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.

We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.

Our certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (such that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our initial stockholders, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

 

 

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In order to complete our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our certificate of incorporation or other governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our stockholders or warrant holders may not support.

In order to complete a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our certificate of incorporation or other governing instruments, including to extend the time we have to consummate an initial business combination in order to complete our initial business combination.

The provisions of our certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.

Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the company’s stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shares. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof, prior to our initial business combination, to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own at least 20.0% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation which will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our certificate of incorporation.

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to letter agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or

 

 

 

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timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our initial stockholders, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our public stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants 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 stockholders 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. The current economic environment may make it difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders and not previously released to us to pay our taxes on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own shares representing 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this

 

 

 

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offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by certain of our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.

A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

If:

 

Ø  

we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and

 

Ø  

the Market Value is below $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like),

then the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per-share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to 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

 

 

 

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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 events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) 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.

In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent upon its ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include target historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. 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 business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

 

 

 

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Our certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.

Our certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation.

This choice of forum provision may make it more costly, or limit a stockholder’s ability, to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. We cannot be certain that a court will decide that this provision is either applicable or enforceable, and if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. In addition, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to actions brought under the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder.

If we complete our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we complete our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:

 

Ø  

higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;

 

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rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

 

Ø  

complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

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laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;

 

 

 

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exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;

 

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tariffs and trade barriers;

 

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regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

Ø  

local or regional economic policies and market conditions;

 

Ø  

underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems and unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

 

Ø  

longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

Ø  

tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

 

Ø  

currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

Ø  

rates of inflation;

 

Ø  

cultural and language differences;

 

Ø  

employment regulations;

 

Ø  

regime changes and political upheaval;

 

Ø  

corruption, crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;

 

Ø  

deterioration of political relations with the United States; and

 

Ø  

government appropriation of assets.

We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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 likely 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.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR SECURITIES

The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus

and our Class A common stock and warrants on or promptly after their date of separation. Although

after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing

 

 

 

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standards set forth in the NYSE listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market capitalization (generally $50,000,000) 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 the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our global market capitalization would be required to be at least $200 million, the aggregate market value of our publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $40 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders and 1,100,000 publicly held shares . We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

Ø  

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

Ø  

reduced liquidity for our securities;

 

Ø  

a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading

 

Ø  

in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;

 

Ø  

a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

 

Ø  

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 common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered 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 the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

 

 

 

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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. However, our certificate of incorporation does not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in

open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of

the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our reasonable best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our reasonable best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.

If the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis in which case the number of shares of our Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum number of shares equal to 0.361 shares of our Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no such warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available.

Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under

 

 

 

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Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants included as part of units sold in this offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors, members of our strategic advisory group and executive officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying common stock. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.

Our ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis after we call the warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants will cause holders to receive fewer shares of our Class A common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to pay the exercise price of their warrants in cash.

If we call the warrants for redemption, we will have the option, in our sole discretion, to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis in the circumstances described in “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00.” If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, the number of shares of our Class A common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the shares of our Class A common stock have a fair market value of $17.50 per share when there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 shares of our Class A common stock. The holder would have received 875 shares of our Class A common stock if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of shares of our Class A common stock upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.

The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the shares of our Class A common stock, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.

In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the shares of our Class A common stock. As a

 

 

 

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result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use reasonable best efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within fifteen business days of the closing of an

initial business combination.

The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders 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 common stock.

Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares, after those shares convert to shares of our Class A common stock. In addition, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the 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 common stock that is expected when the common stock owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered for resale.

We may issue additional shares of our Class A common stock or preferred stock to

complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the antidilution provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

Our certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 175,000,000 and 13,750,000 authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option), which amount does not take into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of any outstanding warrants or the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination.

We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or under an employee

 

 

 

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incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the antidilution provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation. Our Class B common stock shall only be convertible at the time of our initial business combination. However, our certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof, to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation. The restriction on issuing additional shares of capital stock described in the prior sentence will expire upon consummation of our initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:

 

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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock;

 

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may subordinate the rights of holders of our common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;

 

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could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;

 

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may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;

 

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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and

 

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may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.

Unlike some other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of our Class A common stock if we issue shares to complete an initial business combination.

The founder shares will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock 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 pursuant to certain antidilution rights as described herein.

The founder shares will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock 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 for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as described herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, including pursuant to a specified future issuance, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including pursuant to a specified future issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or

 

 

 

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deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial business combination). This is different than other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial stockholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination.

Our initial stockholders contributed an aggregate of approximately $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A common stock.

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our initial stockholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution.

Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 93.4% (or $9.34 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.66 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date

 

 

 

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on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the public warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as set forth under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor and its permitted transferees.

In addition, unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, we have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants 90 days after they become exercisable for $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock and provided certain other conditions are met. Please see “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00.” We would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants and pay fair market value to the warrant holders. Any such redemption may have similar consequences to the redemption described in the above paragraph. In addition, such redemption may occur at a time when the warrants are “out-of-the-money,” in which case you would lose any potential embedded value from a subsequent increase in the value of the Class A common stock had your warrants remained outstanding. Finally, this redemption feature provides a ceiling to the value of your warrants since it locks in the redemption price in the number of Class A common stock to be received if we choose to redeem the warrants for common stock. This redemption feature may cause our warrants to be worth less than other blank check companies which do not have this feature.

Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination.

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 12,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 14,375,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 (or up to 7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of Class A common stock. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.

To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to complete a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon

 

 

 

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exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to complete a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor and its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us (except as described under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”), (ii) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) the holders thereof (including with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights. The private placement warrants will not vote on any amendments to the warrant agreement discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.

Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.

Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the underwriters with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

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the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;

 

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prior offerings of those companies;

 

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our prospects for acquiring an operating business;

 

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a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;

 

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our capital structure;

 

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an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;

 

 

 

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general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and

 

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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. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). 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.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.

Our certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, if we hold a stockholder meeting to approve a transaction, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other

 

 

 

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procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination—Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Stockholder Meeting.”

You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our charter or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants 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 the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”

 

 

 

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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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses.

Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by target businesses. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Past performance by our management team, members of our strategic advisory group 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 respective affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. Our officers and directors have not had management experience with special purpose acquisition corporations in the past. You should not rely on the historical performance of our management team and their respective affiliates as an indication of the future performance of an investment in our company or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. In addition, an investment in our company is not an investment in any other entities affiliated with our management team.

 

 

 

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We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we complete an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

Members of our management team may in the future be involved in governmental investigations and civil litigation relating to the business affairs of companies with which they are, were, or may in the future be, affiliated. This may negatively affect our ability to consummate an initial business combination.

Members of our management team may in the future be involved in governmental investigations and civil litigation relating to the business affairs of companies with which they are, were or may in the future be affiliated with. Any such investigations or litigations may divert our management team’s attention and resources away from searching for an initial business combination, may be detrimental to our reputation, and thus may negatively affect our ability to complete an initial business combination.

We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.

We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition.

Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

 

 

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Our ability to successfully complete our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of members of our management team, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of such people could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

Our ability to successfully complete our business combination is dependent upon the efforts of members of our management team. The role of members of our management team in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some members of our management team may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our 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.

In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a target business’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

Members of our management team may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

Members of our management team may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our 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 and completing a business combination. 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 members of our management team will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any members of our management team will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any members of our management team will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

 

 

 

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We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may complete our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders 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 target business’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.

Our officers and directors may 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.

None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her 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, including other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Our independent directors also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs, which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”

Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us (and they may also become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company) and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses or entities. Our initial stockholders and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, although our officers may not become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition

 

 

 

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company that has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering.

Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities in the future to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management—Officers, Directors and Director Nominees,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

Our 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 initial stockholders, directors or officers, or any of their affiliates although we do not currently intend to do so, or we may acquire a target business through an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

Despite our agreement that, in the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to us from a financial point of view, potential conflicts of interest still may exist. As a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our company and our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

Since our initial stockholders, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.

Our initial stockholders, including our officers and directors, acquired the 7,187,500 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has agreed that it will purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 (or 7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable for one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, for a purchase price of $7,000,000 (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.00 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination within the allocated time period. In addition, we may obtain loans from our initial stockholders, officers, directors

 

 

 

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or their affiliates. 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. This risk may become more acute as the 24-month anniversary of the closing of this offering nears, which is the deadline for completing our initial business combination.

RISKS RELATING TO THE TRUST ACCOUNT

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain 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. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, nor will the underwriters of this offering. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, nor will the underwriters of this offering.

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 have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 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 third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as

 

 

 

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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 amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public 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.

Our independent directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.

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 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 amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.

While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

The proceeds held in the trust account will be held as cash or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations 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. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make

 

 

 

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certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up 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 stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

RISKS RELATING TO TAXATION

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income

tax consequences.

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A common stock and the one-half of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of our Class A common stock included in each unit could be challenged by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or “IRS,” or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of the warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering are unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the warrants could give

 

 

 

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rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares of common stock suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “United States federal income tax considerations” for a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

We may be subject to an increased rate of tax on our income if we are treated as a personal holding company.

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that we could be treated as a “personal holding companyö for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a personal holding company for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if more than 50% of its ownership (by value) is concentrated, within a certain period of time, in five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts), and at least 60% of its income is comprised of certain passive items. See the section titled “United States federal income tax considerations—Personal Holding Company Status” for more detailed information.

GENERAL RISK FACTORS

We are a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We are a newly formed company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through 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 with our company and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

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.

 

 

 

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We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. 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 accounting standards used.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

 

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Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

 

Ø  

our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

 

Ø  

our ability to complete our initial business combination;

 

Ø  

our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;

 

Ø  

our expectations regarding our business strategy, including our beliefs regarding the combined ability of our management team and strategic advisory group to provide distinctive and differentiated capabilities to create stockholder value;

 

Ø  

our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;

 

Ø  

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;

 

Ø  

our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;

 

Ø  

our pool of prospective target businesses;

 

Ø  

our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic;

 

Ø  

the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;

 

Ø  

our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

 

Ø  

the lack of a market for our securities;

 

Ø  

the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;

 

Ø  

the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or

 

Ø  

our financial performance following this offering or an initial business combination.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

 

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Use of proceeds

We are offering 25,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.

 

      Without
Over-Allotment
Option
    Over-Allotment
Option Fully
Exercised
 

Gross proceeds

    

Gross proceeds from units offered to public

   $ 250,000,000     $ 287,500,000  

Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement

     7,000,000       7,750,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total gross proceeds

   $ 257,000,000     $ 295,250,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Estimated offering expenses(1)

    

Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(2)

   $ 5,000,000     $ 5,750,000  

Legal fees and expenses

     275,000       275,000  

Accounting fees and expenses

     30,000       30,000  

SEC/FINRA expenses

     75,000       75,000  

Travel and road show

     25,000       25,000  

NYSE listing and filing fees

     85,000       85,000  

Director and Officer liability insurance premiums(3)

     400,000       400,000  

Printing and engraving expenses

     36,000       36,000  

Miscellaneous

     74,000       74,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total estimated offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions)

   $ 1,000,000     $ 1,000,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Proceeds after estimated offering expenses

   $ 251,000,000     $ 288,500,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Held in trust account

   $ 250,000,000     $ 287,500,000  

% of public offering size

     100     100

Not held in trust account

   $ 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

   $ 325,000        32.5

Due diligence of prospective target businesses by officers, directors and sponsor

     200,000        20.0

Payment for certain administrative, research, transaction and other support services (up to $10,000 per month for up to 24 months)

     240,000        24.0

Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations

     100,000        10.0

Consulting, travel and miscellaneous expenses incurred during search for a target business

     50,000        5.0

Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses and reserves

     85,000        8.5

Total

   $ 1,000,000        100.0

 

(1)  

A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $200,000 to cover offering-related and organizational expenses as described in this prospectus. This

 

 

 

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  amount will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,000,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account.
(2)   The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $8,750,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the Representatives from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The Representatives will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
(3)   This amount represents the approximate amount of annual director and officer liability insurance premiums we anticipate paying following the completion of this offering and until we complete our initial business combination.
(4)   These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a target business in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses.

The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will be held as cash or invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $250,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.1% per year; however, we can provide no assurance regarding this amount. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation as described herein and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise

 

 

 

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their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination.

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, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other assets, companies or for working capital.

We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our initial stockholders, 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 up to $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for certain administrative, research, transaction and other support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $200,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earliest of December 31, 2020, the closing of this offering and our determination to not proceed with this offering. As of September 3, 2020, there was no outstanding balance under the note. The loan and advances will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as described above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates as we do not believe third parties will be

 

 

 

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willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of our securities that may be purchased, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of the NYSE. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information 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 be required to comply with such rules.

We will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation as described herein and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into agreements with us pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business

 

 

 

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combination activity. In addition, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our initial stockholders 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. Permitted transferees of the founder shares held by our initial stockholders, officers and directors will be subject to the same restrictions applicable to our initial stockholders, officers and directors.

 

 

 

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Dividend policy

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. 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. If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering).

 

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Dilution

The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.

At September 3, 2020, our net tangible book deficit was $30,422 or approximately $(0.00) per share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at September 3, 2020 would have been $5,000,008, or approximately $0.66 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 23,727,457 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $0.66 per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $9.34 per share or 93.4% to our public stockholders. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.42 per share or 94.2%.

The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants (assuming no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option):

 

      Without
Over-allotment
    With
Over-allotment
 

Public offering price

     $ 10.00       $ 10.00  

Net tangible book deficit before this offering

     (0.00       (0.00  

Increase attributable to public stockholders

     0.66         0.58    
  

 

 

     

 

 

   

Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants

       0.66         0.58  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Dilution to public stockholders

     $ 9.34       $ 9.42  
    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Percentage of dilution to public stockholders

       93.4       94.2

For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $237,274,570 because holders of up to approximately 94.9% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per-share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering. The actual amount of shares that can be redeemed may exceed this amount so long as we satisfy the minimum net tangible asset threshold of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.

 

 

 

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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:

 

      Shares Purchased     Total Consideration     Average Price
Per Share
 
   Number      Percentage     Amount      Percentage  

Initial Stockholders(1)

     6,250,000        20.0   $ 25,000        0.01   $ 0.004  

Public Stockholders

     25,000,000        80.0     250,000,000        99.99   $ 10.00  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   
     31,250,000        100.0   $ 250,025,000        100.00  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

(1)   Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of an aggregate of 937,500 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders.

The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows (assuming no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option):

 

      Without
Over-allotment
    With
Over-allotment
 

Numerator:

    

Net tangible book deficit before this offering

   $ (30,422   $ (30,422

Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants

     251,000,000       288,500,000  

Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering

     55,000       55,000  

Less: Deferred underwriting commissions

     (8,750,000     (10,062,500

Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption

     (237,274,570     (273,462,070
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 5,000,008     $ 5,000,008  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Denominator:

    

Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering

     7,187,500       7,187,500  

Class B common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised

     (937,500     —    

Class A common stock included in the units offered

     25,000,000       28,750,000  

Less: Shares subject to redemption

     (23,727,457     (27,346,207
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     7,522,543       8,591,293  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Capitalization

The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 3, 2020, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units and the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:

 

     September 3, 2020  
      Actual     As Adjusted(1)  

Note payable to related party(2)

   $ —       $ —    

Deferred underwriting commissions

     —         8,750,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares
authorized; -0- and 23,727,457 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)

     —         237,274,570  

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized;
none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted

     —         —    

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares
authorized; -0- and 1,272,543 shares issued and outstanding
(excluding -0- and 23,727,457 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)

     —         127  

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares
authorized; 7,187,500 and 6,250,000 shares issued and
outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4)

     719       625  

Additional paid-in capital

     24,281       4,999,678  

Accumulated deficit

     (422     (422
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

   $ 24,578     $ 5,000,008  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 24,578     $ 251,024,578  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)   Assumes the underwriters’ over-allotment option has not been exercised and the resulting forfeiture of an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares held by our initial stockholders has occurred.
(2)   Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $200,000 to cover offering-related and organizational expenses. As of September 3, 2020, we had no borrowings under the note.
(3)   Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our stockholders 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, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon completion of our initial business combination and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. The number of shares that may be redeemed may exceed this number so long as it would not cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.
(4)   Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our initial stockholders and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

 

 

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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 Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting an initial business combination with a target business. We have not selected any specific target business and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions directly or indirectly, with any target business regarding a business combination with our company. We intend to complete our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.

The issuance of additional shares of our stock in a business combination:

 

Ø  

may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock;

 

Ø  

may subordinate the rights of holders of our common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;

 

Ø  

could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;

 

Ø  

may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;

 

Ø  

may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and

 

Ø  

may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or owners of a target, it could result in:

 

Ø  

default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

 

Ø  

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;

 

Ø  

our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;

 

Ø  

our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;

 

Ø  

our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

 

Ø  

using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;

 

 

 

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Ø  

limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

Ø  

increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;

 

Ø  

limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and

 

Ø  

other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at September 3, 2020, we had $25,000 in cash and deferred offering costs of $55,000. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND KNOWN TRENDS OR FUTURE EVENTS

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares to our sponsor and up to $200,000 in loans from our sponsor under a note. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $1,000,000, underwriting commissions of $5,000,000 ($5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)), and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $7,000,000 (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $251,000,000 (or $288,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions. The remaining approximately $1,000,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,000,000, 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.

 

 

 

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Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,000,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.

We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less amounts released to us for taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. We estimate our annual franchise tax obligations, based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding after the completion of this offering, to be $200,000, which is the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation per annum. 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 capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $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, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.

We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $525,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination; $100,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $240,000 for administrative, research, transaction and other support services; $50,000 for consulting, travel and miscellaneous expenses incurred during the search for a target business; and approximately $85,000 for working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves. These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination, which may include a specified future issuance. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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

 

 

 

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our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

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 reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. 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:

 

Ø  

staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;

 

Ø  

reconciliation of accounts;

 

Ø  

proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;

 

Ø  

evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;

 

Ø  

documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and

 

Ø  

documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.

Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

 

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QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

In September 2020, we issued 7,187,500 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000. Prior to this initial investment, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. Up to an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering).

Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor up to $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for certain administrative, research, transaction and other support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

Our initial stockholders, 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 by us to our initial stockholders, 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 $200,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earliest of December 31, 2020, the closing of this offering and our determination to not proceed with the offering. As of September 3, 2020, there was no outstanding balance under the note. The loan and advances will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into

 

 

 

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warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as described above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

Our sponsor has agreed that it will purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 private placement warrants (or 7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable for one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The purchasers will be permitted to transfer the private placement warrants held by them to certain permitted transferees, including our officers, directors and members of our strategic advisory group and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as our sponsor. Otherwise, these warrants will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our business combination. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by our sponsor and its permitted transferees (except as described under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”). The private placement warrants may also be exercised by our sponsor and its permitted transferees for cash or on a cashless basis. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement that we will enter into with our initial stockholders 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, the holders of private placement warrants (and the underlying shares of Class A common stock) and holders of warrants (and the underlying shares of Class A common stock) 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 will provide 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 the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS; COMMITMENTS AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS; QUARTERLY RESULTS

As of September 3, 2020, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus, as we have conducted no operations to date.

 

 

 

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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 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

 

 

 

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GENERAL

We are a newly organized Delaware corporation structured as a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities and activities related to this offering. We have not selected any potential business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential target regarding entering into a business combination with us.

We will seek to leverage our management team’s proprietary global network of strong relationships with private equity sponsors, entrepreneurs, venture and growth capital funds, family offices, large corporations, sovereign wealth funds and their owners and most senior officers to identify, structure, finance, acquire and support the operation of a business combination target. In pursuing our strategy we will take advantage of our management team’s extensive experience in investing in and operating businesses across a wide range of sectors and geographies.

While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on companies operating in the TMT and fintech sectors that are headquartered in Europe, Israel, the Middle East or North America.

We believe that this combination of relationships, experience and expertise puts us in a strong position to source an attractive target and complete an initial business combination and makes us a preferred partner for potential business combination targets.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Makram Azar,    our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, has over 30 years of investment banking and private equity experience. Mr. Azar is Chief Executive Officer and director of Full Circle Capital Limited, a private investment and advisory group, which he founded in 2019. Since 2019, Mr. Azar has also served as Chief Executive Officer and director of Full Circle Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Full Circle Capital Limited. Previously, from 2010 to 2019, he was at Barclays Bank PLC, where among other roles, he served as Chairman of Banking EMEA and Chairman of Barclays Bank PLC, MENA. Since 2019, he has continued his relationship with Barclays Bank PLC, serving as Senior Advisor. Before this, Mr. Azar served as Managing Director and Head of MENA for KKR from 2008 to 2010. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Azar had spent 18 years at Lehman Brothers, latterly as Global Head of Sovereign Wealth Funds and Chairman of Media Investment Banking EMEA. Previously he led the Media, Consumer & Retail Investment Banking businesses of Lehman Brothers in EMEA. Mr. Azar has completed over 200 M&A, equity capital markets, debt capital markets and private equity deals with an aggregate value in excess of $350 billion, across a broad spectrum of geographies and industries, including TMT, consumer, sustainable energy, retail, hospitality, financial services, industrials and real estate. His clients have included some of the largest institutional investors, multinational corporations, sovereign wealth funds and governments. Mr. Azar holds a BA in Applied Economics from the University Paris-IX Dauphine and a Master’s degree in Management and Finance from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris.

 

 

 

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Scott J. Freidheim,    our Chairman and a member of our board of directors, is the Managing Partner at Freidheim Capital and Co-Chairman of ettain group. Mr. Freidheim has experience as a NYSE traded company Chief Executive Officer and as a board member for profit and not-for-profit institutions. He has served on senior leadership teams across multiple industries including financial services, mass merchandising, brand management, private equity, engineering and staffing, including serving on the global executive committees of Lehman Brothers (Chief Administrative Officer), Investcorp (CEO, Europe), Sears Holdings Corporation (Executive Vice President, Operating & Support Businesses, and President Kenmore, Craftsman & Diehard) and CDI Corporation (Chief Executive Officer) and serving on the boards of directors of ettain group (Charlotte, NC, USA), N+W Global Vending (Milan, Italy), Icopal (Herlev, Denmark), GL Education (London, England) and Lands’ End (Dodgeville, WI, USA). He has also served on the boards of directors of several not-for-profit institutions including: Institute of International Education (NYC, NY, USA), which administers the Fulbright Scholarship program and Spelman College (Atlanta, GA, USA). Mr. Freidheim is a member of The Economic Club of New York and The Council on Foreign Relations. In 2005, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was a member of the WEF’s inaugural Global Agenda Council. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Foundation (Colorado Springs, CO, USA). Mr. Freidheim holds a BA from Northwestern University and a Master’s degree in Management with concentration in Finance from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Eli Muraidekh,    our Chief Financial Officer and a member of our board of directors, is Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Telamon Capital, a credit opportunity fund founded in 2014. Prior to this, from 2009 to 2014, Mr. Muraidekh was the Investment Manager at Windmill Hill Asset Management. While there, Mr. Muraidekh managed the assets of the philanthropic foundations of Lord Jacob Rothschild totaling over $2.0 billion. He invested across multiple asset classes globally, ranking the endowment in the top five percentile of over 400 endowments tracked by Cambridge Associates. Previously, Mr. Muraidekh was Executive Director of the Value Recovery Fund at Blue Bay Asset Management, leading financial and operational restructurings on behalf of this distressed debt fund. Prior to that, Mr. Muraidekh was Co-Founder of Elwin Capital Partners a growth capital private equity fund, and Executive Director of the Principal Investment Area of Goldman Sachs, evaluating and executing investment opportunities for GS Capital Partners, GS Mezzanine Partners, and Whitehall Real Estate Partners, which were, at the time, all of the firm’s major long-term investment vehicles. Mr. Muraidekh holds a BA in Economics summa cum laude from Yale University, where he graduated first in his class, and an MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School.

John M. Basnage de Beauval,    our General Counsel and Secretary, is Managing Director of Full Circle Capital Limited. From February 2018 to March 2020, Mr. Basnage de Beauval served as Founder and Managing Partner of Anthem Legal Services LLC, an advisory firm that provided legal and commercial advice to financial institutions and other companies. Prior to joining Full Circle Capital, Mr. Basnage de Beauval co-founded and was a partner at Epena Law from October 2019 to March 2020, where he provided legal advice in connection with structuring private equity investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this, Mr. Basnage de Beauval spent more than 25 years advising on capital markets, M&A and private equity transactions in New York, London and Paris, most recently, from November 2003 to February 2018, as a partner at Hogan Lovells, where he headed the US corporate securities practice in London, and was co-head of equity capital markets in Europe. Mr. Basnage de Beauval has advised acquirors and targets on numerous large and complex cross-border M&A transactions and has written extensively on the subject. Before joining Hogan Lovells, he practiced at Freshfields from 1996 to 2001 and Rogers & Wells from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Basnage de Beauval received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, where he was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa, and has law degrees from Oxford University and Columbia University. He completed an executive leadership course at Stanford University School of Business.

 

 

 

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Xavier Rolet, KBE    will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. From January 2019 to January 2020, Mr. Rolet served as Chief Executive Officer of CQS, a global hedge fund. Previously, from 2009 to 2018, Mr. Rolet was the Chief Executive Officer of the London Stock Exchange (“LSE”). Mr. Rolet was named as one of the 100 Best CEOs in the World in the 2017 Harvard Business Review. In his decade at the helm of the LSE, the LSE’s market valuation rose from £800 million to more than £15 billion. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Phosagro PJSC, Chairman of the Board of Shore Capital Markets, a member of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School, a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), an External Director – Portfolio Companies of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a Non Executive Member of the Board of Seplat Petroleum Development Cy Plc, an Expert Adviser to the Shanghai Institute of Finance for the Real Economy (SIFRE), a Member of the Senior Advisory Board at Towerbrook Capital Partners LP, and a Founder and Director of a number of other privately held companies. He has held various senior positions in the financial services industry throughout his career, including Chief Executive Officer of Banque Lehman Brothers in Paris; co-head of Global Equity & Derivatives Trading at Lehman Brothers New York; Global Head of Risk and Trading at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein; Vice-President, International Equity Risk Arbitrage at Goldman Sachs New York; and co-Head of European Equities Sales and Trading at Goldman Sachs International Ltd. in London. Mr. Rolet holds an MSc from the KEDGE Business School, an MBA from Columbia Business School and a post-graduate degree from Paris-based IHEDN (Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defense).

Dominique D’Hinnin will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. D’Hinnin is chairman of the board of EUTELSAT Communications, a French satellite service company. He is also a board member of PRISA, the world’s leading Spanish and Portuguese-language media group, EDENRED, a French Corporate Services Company, Technicolor, a French technology Company, and Louis Delhaize SA, a Belgium private retail group. Mr. D’Hinnin was formerly a board member of EADS-Airbus, the Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Canal+ France, Vice Chairman at Atari, and he sat on the Strategic Council at PricewaterhouseCoopers France. From 2009 to 2016, Mr. D’Hinnin served as Co-Managing Partner of Lagardère Group. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer of Lagardère Group, Executive Vice President of Grolier Inc., where he undertook the overhaul and development of Grolier in the U.S., UK and Asia, and the launch of Grolier Interactive Europe, and Chief Financial Officer of the publisher Hachette Livre, following his active role in the financial and legal restructuring of the Lagardère Group where he oversaw the merger of Matra with Hachette. Mr. D’Hinnin has also held board positions at Marie Claire Album, Holding Evelyne Prouvost, Editions Amaury, and Le Monde. Mr. D’Hinnin received his undergraduate degree from École Normale Supérieure (in classical culture) and a graduate degree from Ecole Nationale d’Administration, the premier graduate school in the country which the majority of government and private sector leaders attend.

I. Martin Pompadur will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Pompadur is currently an investor and advisor to various companies, and a board member of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc., both publicly traded companies. Previously, from 2009 to 2016, he served as Global Vice Chairman, Media and Entertainment at Macquarie Capital, an investment bank and financial services company. From 1998 to 2008, Mr. Pompadur held several positions at News Corporation, a multinational mass media corporation, including Executive Vice President of News Corporation, President of News Corporation Eastern and Central Europe and a member of News Corporation’s Executive Management Committee. In January 2000, Mr. Pompadur was appointed Chairman of News Corporation Europe. In 1985, as advisor to News Corporation, Mr. Pompadur helped acquire for News

 

 

 

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Corporation the Metromedia television station group and wrote the business plan for the start-up of the Fox Television Network. From 1982 to 2007, Mr. Pompadur was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RP Media Management which operated 12 television stations, 25 radio stations and numerous cable television systems totaling 500,000 subscribers. From 1977 to 1982, Mr. Pompadur served as President of Ziff Corporation, then a holding company for Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Prior to that, from 1960 to 1977, Mr. Pompadur worked at American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (“ABC, Inc.”) where he held several positions, including General Manager of the Television Network, Vice President of the Broadcast Division, President of the Leisure Activities Group and Vice President of ABC, Inc. Mr. Pompadur was also previously a Managing General Partner at Northeastern Television Investors LP and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GP Station Partners and of Multivision Cable TV. Mr. Pompadur previously served as a director of IMAX Corporation and Truli Media Group, Inc., both publicly traded companies, and as a director of ABC. Inc, BSkyB, Sky Italia, Premier World, Fox Kids Europe, Metromedia International and Elong. Mr. Pompadur holds a BA from Williams College and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Isabelle Amiel Azoulai will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Ms. Azoulai is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at La Maison SA, a private equity and venture capital investment group formed in 2014, where she has led more than 50 direct technology-focused investments in Israel, the United States, Europe and China. Ms. Azoulai also serves as the personal advisor to several ultra-high net worth European entrepreneurs. From 2014 to 2019, Ms. Azoulai was also a Senior Banker and Partner at Banque Leonardo, SA, a banking company. Ms. Azoulai was formerly an investment partner at Credit Suisse, where she managed the Ultra High Net Worth Individuals department. Prior to that, she managed the investment consulting department of Credit Suisse Private Banking in Paris. Ms. Azoulai is a founding member of the benefit committee of Institut Imagine, the French institute for genetic diseases. Ms. Azoulai holds a Master’s degree in Business from Lincoln International Business School.

Mikael Breuer-Weil will serve as one of our directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Breuer-Weil co-founded Marylebone Partners LLP, an investment management boutique, in September 2013 and served as founding partner and Chief Investment Officer until March 2020, when he stepped down from his executive roles. Previously, from 1994 to 2012, he was the Principal Investment Adviser to philanthropic and family foundations connected to Lord Jacob Rothschild, and in 2007 became Investment Director for RIT Capital Partners plc, an investment trust with a current market value of approximately £2.8 billion. Additionally, he has held various non-executive and investment advisory roles and he remains an adviser to a number of charitable and family organizations. Mr. Breuer-Weil started his career at Mercury Asset Management in 1986 and worked as a fund manager including a period of secondment with Odyssey Partners LLP in New York. Mr. Breuer-Weil graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in law.

The past performance of our management team and strategic advisory group is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their respective affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that can benefit from: (i) the global capital markets and operating experience of our management team and strategic advisory group, (ii) additional capital to achieve its growth strategy and (iii) access to public securities markets.

 

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Our management team has access to a wide range of companies operating in TMT and fintech sectors that are headquartered in Europe, Israel, the Middle East or North America.

Our executive officers’ combined experience includes over 100 years of investment banking, private equity and executive management experience and over 440 transactions with an aggregate value of over $550 billion globally. Our management team’s network has been developed through its:

 

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experience in sourcing, structuring, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling businesses;

 

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relationships with business owners, financing providers and target management teams; and

 

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extensive experience in both investing in and operating businesses across a wide range of sectors.

Our management team will leverage these capabilities, networks and expertise together with those of our strategic advisory group.

We have chosen our independent board members and established a strategic advisory group for the purposes of assisting our executive officers with sourcing and evaluating business combination opportunities and developing plans and strategies to optimize any business that we acquire.

Our independent board members have been selected for their extensive sector and geographic expertise, operating experience, access to proprietary deal flow, strong relationships with business leaders and entrepreneurs and their ability to source an attractive target and assist us in implementing our business combination strategy. They have held senior leadership positions with companies where they have a proven strong track record of creating shareholder value, organically and through transformational acquisitions or corporate restructurings, as well as extensive relationships with owners and operators of companies within their respective industries.

Our strategic advisory group consists of individuals who have complementary sourcing and operational expertise in our sectors of focus. Specifically, they have experience in:

 

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operating companies, devising and implementing strategies and identifying, monitoring and recruiting world-class talent;

 

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developing and growing companies organically by expanding their product range and geographic footprint;

 

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acquiring companies, leading transformational transactions or corporate restructurings and managing corporate integration with success;

 

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investing in equity and fixed income assets in both public and private markets across various sectors, jurisdictions and economic cycles; and

 

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developing and maintaining extensive relationships with owners and operators of companies, as well as with a wide range of financial and legal advisers.

Our strategic advisory group currently includes:

 

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Francois Barrault, Chairman & Founder, FDB Partners; formerly CEO, BT Global Services; President, BT International; President & CEO, Lucent EMEA; CEO, Lucent Mobile International; Founder, DigiWorld Summit;

 

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Joseph Berardino, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal; formerly Partner, Arthur Andersen; CEO, Andersen Worldwide;

 

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Matthew Bronfman, Chairman & CEO, BHB Holdings; Chairman, Lincoln Avenue Capital; formerly Chairman, Bronfman Rothschild; Partner, ACI Capital;

 

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David Gardner, OBE, Co-founder and General Partner of London Venture Partners; formerly CEO of Atari; Executive Vice President of Electronic Arts; Board of Directors of Embracer Group and Double Loop Games;

 

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Arjun Gupta, founder and managing partner of TeleSoft Partners; Chairman, Nexant Inc.; Chairman, Calient Technologies Inc.; Board of Directors of Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd; Board of Directors of L&T Technology Services Limited;

 

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Travis Katz, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Redpoint Ventures; formerly Vice President of Products, Skyscanner; Co-Founder & CEO, Trip.com; Co-Founder, Fox Interactive Media;

 

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Gerrit Meier, Global CEO, Red Bull Media Network; Managing Director, Red Bull Media House; formerly President, International WWE; Global General Manager for Distribution and Partnerships, Spotify; COO, iHeartMedia’s Digital Division;

 

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Tom Mockridge, former CEO, Virgin Media; Deputy Chairman, BSkyB; CEO, News Corp UK & Ireland; CEO, European TV News Corp; CEO, Sky Italia; Chairman, Star TV;

 

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Lionel de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Board Member and Chairman of the Strategic Committee, China Development Financial Holdings; CEO & Chairman, Investment Committee of CDIB Capital; and

 

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Kenneth I. Tuchman, former Vice-Chairman, Bank of Montreal; Vice-Chairman, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Co-Head Global M&A, Lehman Brothers; Chairman, Global Americas, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

We may add additional members to the strategic advisory group from time to time. Unlike our management team, members of our strategic advisory group are not responsible for managing our day-to-day affairs and have no authority to engage in substantive discussions with business combination targets on our behalf. Members of our strategic advisory group will not be paid, but may be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them, in connection with the search for business combination targets before or after the consummation of our initial business combination. We have not currently entered into any formal arrangements or agreements with the members of our strategic advisory group to provide services to us and they will have no fiduciary obligations to present business opportunities to us.

To align the incentives of members of the strategic advisory group with our stockholders, a majority of the members of the strategic advisory group will invest in our sponsor and be eligible to share in a portion of the appreciation in founder shares and private placement warrants, provided that we successfully complete a business combination.

We believe that the combination of our management team and strategic advisory group is an innovative approach to identifying potential high quality business combination targets and aligns incentives with our stockholders, providing us with distinctive and differentiated capabilities to create stockholder value.

We will have access to the advisory and other resources and strategic capabilities of Full Circle Capital, which we believe will give us a competitive advantage in our acquisition strategy and our ability to identify and implement value creation initiatives. Full Circle Capital was founded by Makram Azar in 2019 as a private investment and advisory group that provides financial and strategic advice to key partners and select clients within its network, leveraging its global reach and experience across a broad range of sectors and geographies, to source direct principal investment opportunities across the spectrum

 

 

 

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of private equity, including venture and buy-outs, in the UK, continental Europe, North America and the Middle East, with an emphasis on cross-sector tech, media, telecom, consumer and impact and sustainability.

 

In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises.

We have strong relationships on both sides of the Atlantic and believe that the networks and experience of our management team and strategic advisory group provide us with specific competitive advantages over other blank check companies in sourcing attractive targets based in Europe, Israel or the Middle East. We believe that these regions provide a compelling market opportunity for the following reasons:

 

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Attractive valuation:    stocks in these markets tend to trade at lower valuations, enhancing the multiple arbitrage available by listing the target in the U.S.;

 

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Underpenetrated:    equity markets in Europe, Israel and the Middle East are comparatively more thinly capitalized relative to the U.S. in terms of GDP, suggesting a large number of high-quality private companies that could benefit from going public; furthermore, there have been comparatively few business combinations between U.S.-listed blank check companies and targets located in Europe, Israel and the Middle East – just 18, compared to 110 with U.S. targets, from January 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020;

 

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Underrepresented:    Europe is second only to China as an exporter of goods and services to the U.S., reflecting substantial economic output and a nexus to the U.S., whereas relatively few European companies have completed initial public offerings in the U.S.;

 

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Our knowledge and experience:    our executive officers, board of directors and strategic advisory group have substantial experience in, and relationships with, the most senior decision makers across these regions, which we believe gives us substantially greater access to opportunities;

 

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Access to family or founder owned businesses:    we have strong ties with prominent families (particularly, but not exclusively, based in Europe, Israel and the Middle East) and have a history of working constructively and collaboratively with family and founder-owned businesses, which is a point of differentiation in negotiating a business combination with these companies.

 

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Technology and innovation:    these regions have emerged as technology hubs in their own right, outside of Silicon Valley; for instance, there are currently over 60 “unicorns” – private companies valued at $1 billion or more – based in Europe, Israel and the Middle East;

 

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US stock exchanges’ increasing attractiveness:    over 200 companies from Europe, Israel and the Middle East have their primary listings on NYSE or Nasdaq, compared to fewer than 20 in 2010; and

 

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Limited competition:    our on-the-ground presence in Europe as well as well as our knowledge of, relationships in, and experience investing in, Europe, Israel and the Middle East are key differentiators for us as compared to other blank check companies, the vast majority of which we believe are seeking business combinations exclusively in the U.S.

Upon completion of this offering, our management team and strategic advisory group will communicate with their network of relationships to articulate our initial business combination criteria, including the parameters of our search for a target business, and will begin the disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads.

BUSINESS COMBINATION CRITERIA

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating business combination opportunities, although we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.

 

 

 

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We view ourselves as rigorous, disciplined and valuation-centric investors, with a keen understanding of market value, upside and potential downside risks.

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Business with significant revenue and earnings growth potential.    We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that we believe will have multiple organic and M&A-driven growth opportunities over time and are well positioned to take advantage of secular, macroeconomic and credit trends, endure economic downturns, changes in the industry landscape and respond to evolving customer, supplier and competitor preferences. We will search for attractive, growth-oriented businesses that exhibit sound, underlying fundamentals as well as demonstrated revenue growth and an existing or a clear path to attractive profitability. This includes such potential targets that are currently, or have the potential to be, category leaders with long-term growth potential.

 

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Targets that can benefit from our relationships and experience.    While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on our management team’s domain expertise acquired through decades of strategic deal-making in our targeted sectors. We believe our management team’s deep network of senior management, owners of businesses, board relationships and sophisticated private and public market investors give us a number of competitive advantages and present us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. Our management team will leverage the broad spectrum of skills and expertise of our strategic advisory group, all of whom have extensive deal making, management and operational experience. We believe our team represents an exceptionally attractive combination of investing, capital markets, and operational experience that potential combination candidates will find highly desirable and complementary to their growth plans and will have the potential to substantially enhance shareholder value.

 

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Companies with potential to benefit from the fourth industrial revolution.    We will seek to acquire one or more businesses which currently, or have the potential to, benefit from digital disruption positioning them to disintermediate or disrupt in their industry vertical, driven by the exponential increase in data generation, advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, rising processing power and/or ubiquitous global connectivity through smartphones, among other technologies. The technological impact of COVID-19 has been to accelerate trends that were already underway before the pandemic arose, including in the areas of remote working and learning, migration to cloud computing and productivity, mobile and interactive entertainment and transition from brick-and-mortar businesses to e-commerce. We believe that these trends are generating a significant market opportunity across our areas of focus in TMT and fintech.

 

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Businesses with a strong transatlantic nexus.    We intend to focus on companies in Europe, Israel and the Middle East whose current or future businesses have a nexus to the United States. These companies would benefit from having access to the deep public capital markets in the U.S. associated with a listing on the NYSE and access to capital to pursue accretive acquisitions, fund capital projects, pursue their growth strategies and/or strengthen their balances sheets. At the same time, we believe we are an attractive partner for those companies headquartered in North America seeking access and growth in Europe, Israel and the Middle East as we leverage our relationships with corporate customers and business partners to help expand their geographical footprint.

 

These criteria and guidelines 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 criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not

 

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meet the above criteria and guidelines in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC. In addition to any potential business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds, and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.

INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

Pursuant to the NYSE listing rules, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Additionally, pursuant to the NYSE rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE, these rules will not be applicable to us.

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire 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 stockholders or for other reasons, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described above. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders 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 shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.

We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. Any members of our management team or their affiliates may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by undertaking a specified future issuance to such parties.

 

 

 

 

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The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance. Pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of our Class B common stock, any such specified future issuance would result in an adjustment to the conversion ratio such that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees, if any, would retain their aggregate percentage ownership at 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all shares issued in the specified future issuance (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial business combination), unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agreed to waive such adjustment with respect to the specified future issuance at the time thereof. We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B common stock at the time of any such specified future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. If such adjustment is not waived, the specified future issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B common stock, but would reduce the percentage ownership of our public stockholders. If such adjustment is waived, the specified future issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our common stock.

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants 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 is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.

OUR ACQUISITION PROCESS

We believe that conducting comprehensive due diligence on prospective investments is important . We expect to utilize the diligence, rigor, and expertise of our management team to evaluate potential targets’ strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to identify the relative risk and return profile of any potential target for our initial business combination. Given our management team’s extensive investment experience, we will believe we will often be familiar with the prospective target’s end-market, competitive landscape and business model.

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information which will be made available to us.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers directors, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to us from a financial point of view.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity

 

 

 

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to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. In addition, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with an entity to which an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by undertaking a specified future issuance to such parties. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Our officers have agreed not to become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company that has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering.

STATUS AS A PUBLIC COMPANY

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.

Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.

FINANCIAL POSITION

With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $242,250,000, after payment of $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $278,437,500 after payment of up to $10,062,500 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires.

 

 

 

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However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.

EFFECTING OUR INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to complete our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.

If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other assets, companies or for working capital.

We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (which may include a specified future issuance), and we may complete 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 applicable law or we decide to do so for business or other reasons, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately, including pursuant to any specified future issuance, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.

SOURCES OF TARGET BUSINESSES

We expect to receive a number of proprietary transaction opportunities to originate as a result of the business relationships, direct outreach, and deal sourcing activities of our management team. In addition to the proprietary deal flow, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms, private equity groups, large business enterprises, and other market participants. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our management team or strategic advisory group, as well as some of their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business

 

 

 

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contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate. In no event will our initial stockholders or any of our existing officers, directors or members of our strategic advisory group, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is), except that at the closing of our initial business combination, we may pay a customary financial consulting fee to our initial stockholders, officers, directors, members of our strategic advisory group or their affiliates, which will not be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination. We may pay such financial consulting fee in the event such party or parties provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present conflicts of interest. We would disclose any such fee in the proxy or tender offer materials used in connection with a proposed business combination.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to us from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Additionally, pursuant to the NYSE rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors. As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Any such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by making a specified future issuance to any such entity.

LACK OF BUSINESS DIVERSIFICATION

For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

 

Ø  

subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory risks, 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

 

Ø  

cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.

 

 

 

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LIMITED ABILITY TO EVALUATE THE TARGET’S MANAGEMENT TEAM

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is presently unknown if any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business. The determination as to whether any members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

Following our initial business combination, to the extent that we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

STOCKHOLDERS MAY NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO APPROVE OUR INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.

 

Type of Transaction    Whether
Stockholder
Approval is
Required
 

Purchase of assets

     No  

Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company

     No  

Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company

     No  

Merger of the company with a target

     Yes  

Under the NYSE’s listing rules, stockholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:

 

Ø  

we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) shares of common stock that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding;

 

Ø  

any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the rules of the NYSE) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or

 

Ø  

the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.

 

 

 

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The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

 

Ø  

the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company;

 

Ø  

the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote;

 

Ø  

the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;

 

Ø  

other time and budget constraints of the company; and

 

Ø  

additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders.

PERMITTED PURCHASES OF, AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH RESPECT TO, OUR SECURITIES

In the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of securities such persons may purchase. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights.

In the event that our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. 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 be required to comply with such rules.

The purpose of any such transaction could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business

 

 

 

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combination, (ii) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (iii) 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. Any such transactions 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 common stock or warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

It is likely that our initial stockholders, officers, directors and/or their affiliates would identify the stockholders with whom they may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the stockholders contacting us or them directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of public shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our initial stockholders, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.

REDEMPTION RIGHTS FOR PUBLIC STOCKHOLDERS UPON COMPLETION OF OUR INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the Representatives. The redemption rights may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.

MANNER OF CONDUCTING REDEMPTIONS

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval under stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases

 

 

 

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would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed business combination.

If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation:

 

Ø  

conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and

 

Ø  

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 and our initial stockholders will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.

In the event that we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our initial stockholders, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation:

 

Ø  

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

 

Ø  

file proxy materials with the SEC.

In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum

 

 

 

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for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to their founder shares, we would need only 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). However, because we generally only need a majority of the outstanding shares to be voted in favor of a proposed business combination to have such transaction approved, the number of public shares needed to be voted in favor of any transaction decreases as the overall number of public shares voted decreases. Accordingly, we would need only 1,562,501, or 6.3%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction if only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Stockholder Approval

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to any Excess Shares owned by them, without our prior consent. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ 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 stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a

 

 

 

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target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, our certificate of incorporation does not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.

Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Stockholder Meeting

If we seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, 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 proxy materials that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our proxy materials until up to two business days prior to the vote on the business combination to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a nominal fee 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 some blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, some blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed 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 stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the 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 two business days prior to the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials (unless we elect to allow additional withdrawal rights. 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

 

 

 

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not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.

If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.

If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a different business combination until 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.

Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation If No Initial Business Combination

Our certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering.

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. However, if they acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering.

We will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either

 

 

 

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immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above) we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares.

We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $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 on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any tax payments or expenses for dissolution of the trust, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.

Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, 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. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, nor will the underwriters of this offering.

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

 

 

 

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recourse against the trust account for any reason. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the 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, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public 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.

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 the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.

We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,000,000 from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims. In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,000,000, 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

 

 

 

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the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,000,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.

Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the end of our acquisition period and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a

 

 

 

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result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.00 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 withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.

If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only on the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights as described above. Holders of warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.

 

 

 

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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

  

$250,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.

  

Approximately $212,625,000 of the offering proceeds would be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.

Investment of net proceeds

  

$250,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be held as cash or invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.

  

Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.

Receipt of interest on escrowed funds

  

 

Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders 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 24 months from the closing of this offering, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation.

  

 

Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination.

 

 

 

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Terms of Our Offering

  

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business

  

 

 

Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination.

  

 

 

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 common stock 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 the Representatives inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, an additional 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 Class A common stock and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.

 

 

 

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Terms of Our Offering

  

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Exercise of the
warrants

  

 

The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering.

  

 

The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.

Election to remain an investor

  

 

We will provide our public stockholders 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, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, 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 stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer

  

 

A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. 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

   rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting.   

Business combination deadline

  

 

If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining

  

 

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

   stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.   

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 tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or    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 24 months from the closing of this offering.
   (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of 100% of our public shares if we have not completed a business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (subject to the requirements of applicable law). Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights   

 

 

 

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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

   to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. We will use these funds to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the Representatives their deferred underwriting commissions, 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.   

COMPETITION

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.

FACILITIES

Our executive offices are located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711 and our telephone number is (970) 315-2644. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

EMPLOYEES

We currently have three executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.

 

 

 

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PERIODIC REPORTING AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION

We will register our units, Class A common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.

We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with GAAP and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with PCAOB standards. We cannot assure you that any particular target business selected by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP and PCAOB standards or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with GAAP and PCAOB standards. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

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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OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND DIRECTOR NOMINEES

Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:

 

Name    Age    Position
Scott J. Freidheim    55    Chairman of the Board of Directors
Makram Azar    53    Chief Executive Officer and Director
Eli Muraidekh    52    Chief Financial Officer and Director
John M. Basnage de Beauval    55    General Counsel and Secretary
Xavier Rolet, KBE    61    Independent Director Nominee

Dominique D’Hinnin

   61    Independent Director Nominee
I. Martin Pompadur    85    Independent Director Nominee
Isabelle Amiel Azoulai    45    Independent Director Nominee
Mikael Breuer-Weil    56    Independent Director Nominee

Scott J. Freidheim    has served as Chairman of our board of directors since our inception. Since October 2016, Mr. Freidheim has served as Founder and Managing Partner of Freidheim Capital LLC, an investment family office. Since 2019, Mr. Freidheim has been Co-Chairman of the board of ettain group. Previously, from September 2014 to September 2016, Mr. Freidheim served as Chief Executive Officer and as a director of CDI Corp., a publicly traded staffing and engineering company. Mr. Freidheim has served on senior leadership teams across multiple industries including financial services, mass merchandising, brand management and private equity. From 2011 to 2014, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Investcorp International, an alternative investment firm in London. From 2010 to 2011, he served as Executive Vice President and President of Kenmore Craftsman & Diehard for Sears Holdings Corporation (“Sears”). Prior to that, from 2009 to 2010, he served as Executive Vice President, Operating & Support Businesses at Sears. From 1991 to 2008, Mr. Freidheim served in several roles at Lehman Brothers, the most recent of which was Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President. In addition, he currently serves, or has served, on several boards, including N+W Global Vending (Milan, Italy), Icopal (Herlev, Denmark), GL Education (London, England) and Lands’ End (Dodgeville, WI, USA). Mr. Freidheim currently serves, or has served, on a number of not-for-profit boards. In 2005, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was a member of the WEF’s inaugural Global Agenda Council. Mr. Freidheim holds a BA from Northwestern University and a Master’s degree in Management with concentration in Finance from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

We believe that Mr. Freidheim is well qualified to serve as Chairman of our board as he brings significant executive and operational leadership and experience due to his service on senior management teams and boards of multiple large corporations, including as chief executive officer and director of a publicly traded company.

Makram Azar    has served as our Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our board of directors since our inception. Mr. Azar is Chief Executive Officer and director of Full Circle Capital Limited, a private investment and advisory group, which he founded in January 2019. Since May 2019, Mr. Azar has also served as Chief Executive Officer and director of Full Circle Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Full Circle Capital Limited. Previously, from 2010 to January 2019, he was at Barclays Bank PLC, where among other roles, he served as Chairman of Banking EMEA

 

 

 

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and Chairman of Barclays Bank PLC, MENA. Since January 2019, he has continued his relationship with Barclays Bank PLC, serving as Senior Advisor. Before this, Mr. Azar served as Managing Director and Head of MENA at KKR from 2008 to 2010. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Azar had spent 18 years at Lehman Brothers, latterly as Global Head of Sovereign Wealth Funds and Chairman of Media Investment Banking EMEA. Previously he led the Media, Consumer & Retail Investment Banking businesses of Lehman Brothers in EMEA. Mr. Azar has completed a very large number of M&A, equity capital markets, debt capital markets and private equity deals with an aggregate value in excess of $350 billion, across a broad spectrum of geographies and industries, including telecoms, media, technology, consumer, sustainable energy, retail, hospitality, financial services, industrials and real estate. His clients have included some of the largest institutional investors, multinational corporations, sovereign wealth funds and governments. Mr. Azar holds a BA in Applied Economics from the University Paris-IX Dauphine and a Master’s degree in Management and Finance from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris.

We believe that Mr. Azar is well qualified to serve as a director due to his over 30 years of extensive banking and investment experience in a broad range of industries.

Eli Muraidekh    has served as our Chief Financial Officer and as a member of our board of directors since our inception. Since 2014, Mr. Muraidekh has served as the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, and as a director, of Telamon Capital LLP, a credit opportunity fund. Prior to this, from 2009 to 2014, Mr. Muraidekh served as Executive Board Director, Investment Committee Member and Investment Director at Windmill Hill Asset Management, a financial services company. While there, Mr. Muraidekh managed the assets of the philanthropic foundations of Lord Jacob Rothschild totaling over $2.0 billion. He invested across multiple asset classes globally, ranking the endowment in the top five percentile of over 400 endowments tracked by Cambridge Associates. Previously, Mr. Muraidekh was Executive Director of the Value Recovery Fund at Blue Bay Asset Management. Prior to that, Mr. Muraidekh was Co-Founder of Elwin Capital Partners and Executive Director at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Muraidekh has also worked at McKinsey in London and Morgan Stanley in New York. Mr. Muraidekh holds a BA in Economics summa cum laude from Yale University, where he graduated first in his class, and an MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School.

We believe that Mr. Muraidekh is well qualified to serve as a director due to his 25 years of investment management experience across multiple asset classes and in-depth specialized expertise investing in public and private credit and equity markets.

John M. Basnage de Beauval    has served as our General Counsel and Secretary since our inception. Since April 2020, he has served as Managing Director of Full Circle Capital Limited. From February 2018 to March 2020, Mr. Basnage de Beauval served as Founder and Managing Partner of Anthem Legal Services LLC, an advisory firm that provided legal and commercial advice to financial institutions and other companies. Prior to joining Full Circle Capital, Mr. Basnage de Beauval co-founded and was a partner at Epena Law from October 2019 to March 2020, where he provided legal advice in connection with structuring private equity investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this, Mr. Basnage de Beauval spent more than 25 years advising on capital markets, M&A and private equity transactions in New York, London and Paris, most recently, from November 2003 to February 2018, as a partner at Hogan Lovells, where he headed the US corporate securities practice in London, and was co-head of equity capital markets in Europe. Mr. Basnage de Beauval has advised acquirors and targets on numerous large and complex cross-border M&A transactions and has written extensively on the subject. Before joining Hogan Lovells, he practiced at Freshfields from 1996 to 2001 and Rogers & Wells from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Basnage de Beauval received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, where he was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa, and has law degrees from Oxford University and Columbia University. He completed an executive leadership course at Stanford University School of Business.

 

 

 

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Xavier Rolet, KBE    has agreed to serve on our board of directors as an independent director upon the closing of this offering. From January 2019 to January 2020, Mr. Rolet served as Chief Executive Officer of CQS, a global hedge fund. Previously, from 2009 to 2018, Mr. Rolet was the Chief Executive Officer of the London Stock Exchange (“LSE”). Mr. Rolet was named as one of the 100 Best CEOs in the World in the 2017 Harvard Business Review. In his decade at the helm of the LSE, the LSE’s market valuation rose from £800 million to more than £15 billion. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Phosagro PJSC, Chairman of the Board of Shore Capital Markets, a member of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School, a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), an External Director – Portfolio Companies of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a Non Executive Member of the Board of Seplat Petroleum Development Cy Plc, an Expert Adviser to the Shanghai Institute of Finance for the Real Economy (SIFRE), a Member of the Senior Advisory Board at Towerbrook Capital Partners LP, and a Founder and Director of a number of other privately held companies. He has held various senior positions in the financial services industry throughout his career, including Chief Executive Officer of Banque Lehman Brothers in Paris; co-head of Global Equity & Derivatives Trading at Lehman Brothers New York; Global Head of Risk and Trading at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein; Vice-President, International Equity Risk Arbitrage at Goldman Sachs New York; and co-Head of European Equities Sales and Trading at Goldman Sachs International Ltd. in London. Mr. Rolet holds an MSc in management science and finance from the KEDGE Business School, an MBA from Columbia Business School and a post-graduate degree from Paris-based IHEDN (Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defense).

We believe that Mr. Rolet is well qualified to serve as a director due to his wealth of past executive experience, including as Chief Executive Officer of the London Stock Exchange, and his depth of knowledge and experience in the financial services industry.

Dominique D’Hinnin    has agreed to serve on our board of directors as an independent director upon the closing of this offering.Since 2017 Mr. D’Hinnin has been chairman of the board of EUTELSAT Communications, a French satellite service company. From 2009 to 2016, Mr. D’Hinnin served as Co-Managing Partner of Lagardère Group. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer of Lagardère Group, Executive Vice President of Grolier Inc., and Chief Financial Officer of the publisher Hachette Livre, following his active role in the financial and legal restructuring of the Lagardère Group where he oversaw the merger of Matra with Hachette. Mr. D’Hinnin is also a board member of PRISA, the world’s leading Spanish and Portuguese-language media group, EDENRED, a French corporate services company, Technicolor, a French technology company, and Louis Delhaize SA, a Belgium private retail group. Mr. D’Hinnin was formerly a board member of EADS-Airbus, the Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Canal+ France, Vice Chairman at Atari, and he sat on the Strategic Council at PricewaterhouseCoopers France. Mr. D’Hinnin has also held board positions at Marie Claire Album, Holding Evelyne Prouvost, Editions Amaury, and Le Monde. Mr. D’Hinnin received his undergraduate degree from École Normale Supérieure (in classical culture) and a graduate degree from Ecole Nationale d’Administration.

We believe that Mr. D’Hinnin is well qualified to serve as a director due to his substantial experience serving on boards, including of media and technology companies, as well as his past executive experience in the media sector.

I. Martin Pompadur    has agreed to serve on our board of directors as an independent director upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Pompadur is currently an investor and advisor to various companies, and a board member of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc., both publicly traded companies. Previously, from 2009 to 2016, he served as Global Vice Chairman, Media and Entertainment at Macquarie Capital, an investment bank and financial services company. From June

 

 

 

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1998 to November 2008, Mr. Pompadur held several positions at News Corporation, a multinational mass media corporation, including Executive Vice President of News Corporation, President of News Corporation Eastern and Central Europe and a member of News Corporation’s Executive Management Committee. In January 2000, Mr. Pompadur was appointed Chairman of News Corporation Europe. In 1985, as advisor to News Corporation, Mr. Pompadur helped acquire for News Corporation the Metromedia television station group and wrote the business plan for the start-up of the Fox Television Network. From 1982 to April 2007, Mr. Pompadur was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RP Media Management which operated 12 television stations, 25 radio stations and numerous cable television systems totaling 500,000 subscribers. From 1977 to 1982, Mr. Pompadur served as President of Ziff Corporation, then a holding company for Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Prior to that, from 1960 to 1977, Mr. Pompadur worked at ABC, Inc. where he held several positions, including General Manager of the Television Network, Vice President of the Broadcast Division, President of the Leisure Activities Group and Vice President of ABC, Inc. Mr. Pompadur was also previously a Managing General Partner at Northeastern Television Investors LP and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GP Station Partners and of Multivision Cable TV. Mr. Pompadur previously served as a director of IMAX Corporation and Truli Media Group, Inc., both publicly traded companies, and as a director of ABC. Inc, BSkyB, Sky Italia, Premier World, Fox Kids Europe, Metromedia International and Elong. Mr. Pompadur holds a BA from Williams College and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

We believe that Mr. Pompadur is well qualified to serve as a director due to his extensive executive level expertise in the media industry and experience serving on public company boards.

 

Isabelle Amiel Azoulai    has agreed to serve on our board of directors as an independent director upon the closing of this offering. Ms. Azoulai is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at La Maison SA, a private equity and venture capital investment group formed in 2014, where she has led more than 50 direct technology-focused investments in Israel, the United States, Europe and China. Ms. Azoulai also serves as the personal advisor to several ultra-high net worth European entrepreneurs. From 2014 to 2019, Ms. Azoulai was also a Senior Banker and Partner at Banque Leonardo, SA, a banking company. Ms. Azoulai was formerly an investment partner at Credit Suisse, where she managed the Ultra High Net Worth Individuals department. Prior to that, she managed the investment consulting department of Credit Suisse Private Banking in Paris. Ms. Azoulai is a founding member of the benefit committee of Institut Imagine, the French institute for genetic diseases. Ms. Azoulai holds a Master’s degree in Business from Lincoln International Business School.

We believe that Ms. Azoulai is well qualified to serve as a director due to her substantial investment experience in growth technology companies in multiple geographic locations.

Mikael Breuer-Weil    has agreed to serve on our board of directors as an independent director upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Breuer-Weil co-founded Marylebone Partners LLP, an investment management boutique, in September 2013 and served as founding partner and Chief Investment Officer until March 2020, when he stepped down from his executive roles. Previously, from 1994 to 2012, he was the Principal Investment Adviser to philanthropic and family foundations connected to Lord Jacob Rothschild, and in 2007 became Investment Director for RIT Capital Partners plc, an investment trust with a current market value of approximately £2.8 billion. Additionally, he has held various non-executive and investment advisory roles and he remains an adviser to a number of charitable and family organizations. Mr. Breuer-Weil started his career at Mercury Asset Management in 1986 and worked as a fund manager including a period of secondment with Odyssey Partners LLP in New York. Mr. Breuer-Weil graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in law.

We believe that Mr. Breuer-Weil is well qualified to serve as a director due to his wealth of experience in investment management.

 

 

 

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NUMBER AND TERMS OF OFFICE OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

We intend to have seven directors upon completion of this offering. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of                and                , will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of                and                , will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of                ,                and                 will expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of one or more Chairmen of the Board, one or more Chief Executive Officers, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.

DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The NYSE listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Breuer-Weil, D’Hinnin, Pompadur and Rolet and Ms. Azoulai are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our audit committee will be entirely composed of independent directors meeting the NYSE’s additional requirements applicable to members of the audit committee. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

OFFICER AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

None of our officers, directors or members of our strategic advisory group has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We will pay an affiliate of our sponsor for administrative, research, transaction and other support services provided to us in the amount of up to $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months. No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us to our initial stockholders, officers, directors or members of our strategic advisory group, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, except that at the closing of our initial business combination, we may pay a customary financial consulting fee to our initial stockholders, officers, directors, members of our strategic advisory group or their affiliates which will not be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination. We may pay such financial consulting fee in the event such party or parties provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit

 

 

 

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committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present conflicts of interest. We would disclose any such fee in the proxy or tender offer materials used in connection with a proposed business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.

After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.

Following a business combination, to the extent we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Following the consummation of this offering, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. The rules of the NYSE and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act generally require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of the NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.

Audit Committee

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors.                 ,                and                 will serve as members of our audit committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions which we are not taking advantage of.                ,                and                 meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.

Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined                  that                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:

 

Ø  

the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;

 

 

 

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Ø  

overseeing the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements,

 

Ø  

overseeing the independent auditors’ qualifications and independence and the performance of the internal audit function and independent auditors;

 

Ø  

assisting with oversight of the design and implementation of the internal audit function;

 

Ø  

reviewing and approving the annual audit plan for the Company;

 

Ø  

discussing earnings press releases and financial information provided to analysts and rating agencies;

 

Ø  

discussing with management our policies and practices with respect to risk assessment and risk management;

 

Ø  

reviewing any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response with the independent auditors;

 

Ø  

meeting periodically with each of management, internal auditors and the independent auditors;

 

Ø  

pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

 

Ø  

reviewing and discussing our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor;

 

Ø  

reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;

 

Ø  

setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors;

 

Ø  

setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 

Ø  

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;

 

Ø  

establishing procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters and (ii) the confidential, anonymous submission by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters;

 

Ø  

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

 

Ø  

evaluating, on an annual basis, the audit committee’s performance and reporting regularly to the board of directors.

Compensation Committee

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors.                ,                and                 will serve as members of our compensation committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions which we are not taking advantage of.                ,                and                 meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards applicable to members of the compensation committee.

 

 

 

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We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:

 

Ø  

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, either as a committee or together with the other independent directors (as directed by the board), determining and approving the compensation level (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;

 

Ø  

setting salaries and approving incentive compensation awards and equity compensation plan awards for all Section 16 officers as designated by the board;

 

Ø  

reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

Ø  

implementing and administering our incentive compensation plans;

 

Ø  

assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

Ø  

if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement;

 

Ø  

reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the compensation for directors; and

 

Ø  

evaluating, on an annual basis, the compensation committee’s performance.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our initial stockholders, officers, directors, members of our strategic advisory group or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to complete the consummation of a business combination, except that at the closing of our initial business combination, we may pay a customary financial consulting fee, which will not be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination. We may pay such financial consulting fee in the event such party or parties provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present conflicts of interest. We would disclose any such fee in the proxy or tender offer materials used in connection with a proposed business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.

The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NYSE and the SEC.

 

 

 

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DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors, which will consist of                ,                and                 , each of whom is an independent director under the NYSE’s listing standards. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating and corporate governance committee considers persons identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and others.

We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the principal functions of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:

 

Ø  

identifying individuals qualified to become members of the board of directors;

 

Ø  

recruiting, reviewing and making recommendations to the board of directors regarding nominees for election or to fill vacancies on the board;

 

Ø  

developing the criteria and qualifications for membership on the board of directors;

 

Ø  

reviewing candidates proposed by stockholders, and conducting appropriate inquiries into the background and qualifications of any such candidates;

 

Ø  

reviewing the independence of each director and making a recommendation to the board of directors with respect to each director’s independence;

 

Ø  

developing and recommending to the board of directors the corporate governance guidelines applicable to us and reviewing our corporate governance guidelines at least annually;

 

Ø  

making recommendations to the board of directors with respect to the membership of the audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees;

 

Ø  

overseeing the evaluation of the performance of the board of directors and its committees and management, on a continuing basis, including an annual self-evaluation of the performance of the nominating and corporate governance committee;

 

Ø  

reviewing our overall corporate governance and reporting to the board of directors on its findings and any recommendations; and

 

Ø  

monitoring and making recommendations regarding committee functions, contributions, and composition.

Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees

The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the nominating and corporate governance committee charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:

 

Ø  

should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;

 

Ø  

should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and

 

Ø  

should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the stockholders.

The nominating and corporate governance committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a

 

 

 

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person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating and corporate governance committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating and corporate governance committee will not distinguish among nominees recommended by stockholders and other persons.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION

None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year have not served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.

CODE OF ETHICS

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our code of ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review our code of ethics 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.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. In addition, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with an entity to which an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by undertaking a specified future issuance to such parties. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Our officers have agreed not to become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company that has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering.

Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:

 

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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.

 

 

 

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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.

 

Ø  

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until the earlier of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants, the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A common stock underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our officers and directors may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to complete our initial business combination.

 

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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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Our officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from them or their affiliates to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:

 

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the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

 

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the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and

 

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it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

 

 

 

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Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:

 

Individual    Entity    Entity’s Business    Affiliation
Makram Azar    Full Circle Capital Limited    Corporate finance   

Chief Executive Officer and

Director

  

 

Full Circle Capital Services Limited

  

 

Investment management and corporate finance

  

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Scott J. Freidheim    Freidheim Capital LLC    Family office (investment)    Managing Partner
   ettain group    IT staffing and solutions    Co-Chairman
Eli Muraidekh    Telamon Capital LLP    Investment    Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Director
John M. Basnage de Beauval   

Full Circle Capital Limited

 

Full Circle Capital Services Limited

  

Corporate finance

 

Investment management and corporate finance

  

Managing Director

 

Director

Xavier Rolet, KBE    Phosagro PJSC    Chemicals    Chairman and Director
  

 

Shore Capital Markets

  

 

Private equity

  

 

Chairman

  

 

Saudi Stock Exchange

  

 

Trading platform

  

 

Director

  

 

Seplat Petroleum Development Cy Plc

  

 

Petroleum

  

 

Director

  

 

Towerbrook Capital Partners LP

  

 

Investment management

  

 

Senior Advisory Board Member

  

 

Public Investment Fund

  

 

Investment fund

  

 

External Director – Portfolio Companies

  

 

Grayling Centennial LLC

  

 

Real Estate

  

 

Managing Member

   SCEA Dom de la Verriere    Winery    Director
   SCI La Verriere    Real Estate    Director
   SAS La Verriere    Hospitality    Director

 

 

 

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Individual    Entity    Entity’s Business    Affiliation
Dominique D’Hinnin    EUTELSAT Communications    Satellite service company    Chairman of the Board
   PRISA    Media group    Director
   EDENRED    Corporate services    Director
   Technicolor    Technology company    Director
   Louis Delhaize    Private retail    Director
I. Martin Pompadur   

Nexstar Media

Group, Inc.

   Television and media    Director
   Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.    Media    Director
Isabelle Amiel Azoulai    La Maison    Private equity and venture capital    Founding & Managing Partner
   La Maison Israeli Technology Fund I    Venture Capital Fund    Director
   La Maison Israeli Technology Fund    Venture Capital Fund    Director
   La Maison Silicon Valley    Venture Capital Fund    Board Member/Advisory Committee
Mikael Breuer-Weil   

Marylebone

Partners LLP

   Asset management    Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers, or directors, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to us from a financial point of view.

In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.

LIMITATION ON LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.

 

 

 

 

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We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors. Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we complete an initial business combination.

Our indemnification obligations may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

We believe that these provisions, the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and the indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.

 

 

 

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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:

 

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each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;

 

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each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees; and

 

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all our executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group.

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.

The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial stockholders forfeit an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares and that there are 31,250,000 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.

 

     Before Offering     After Offering  
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)    Number
of Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
     Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding
Common Stock
    Number
of Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
     Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding
Common Stock
 

Golden Falcon Sponsor Group, LLC(3)

     7,037,500        97.9     6,100,000        19.5

Scott J. Freidheim

     —          —         —          —    

Makram Azar

     —          —         —          —    

Eli Muraidekh

     —          —         —          —    

John M. Basnage de Beauval

     —          —         —          —    

Xavier Rolet, KBE

     30,000        *       30,000        *  

Dominique D’Hinnin

     30,000        *       30,000        *  

I. Martin Pompadur

     30,000        *       30,000        *  

Isabelle Amiel Azoulai

     30,000        *       30,000        *  

Mikael Breuer-Weil

     30,000        *       30,000        *  

All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (9 individuals)(4)

     7,187,500        100.0     6,250,000        20.0

 

*   Less than 1%.
(1)   Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp., 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711.
(2)   Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as shares of Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities.”
(3)  

Our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. Makram Azar, Scott J. Freidheim and Eli Muraidekh are the three managers of our sponsor. Any action by our sponsor with respect to the founder shares held by it, including voting and dispositive decisions, requires a majority vote of the board of managers. Accordingly, under the so-called “rule of three,” because voting and dipositive decisions are made by a majority of our sponsor’s managers, none of the managers of our sponsor is

 

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  deemed to be a beneficial owner of our sponsor’s securities, even those in which such manager holds a pecuniary interest. Accordingly, none of such individuals is deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of the founder shares held by our sponsor.
(4)   Although Messrs. Azar, Freidheim and Muraidekh disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares, for presentation purposes, such shares are included in the totals set forth in the table.

Immediately after this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20.0% of the then-issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or amendment to our certificate of incorporation.

Our officers, directors and sponsor are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.

RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFERS OF FOUNDER SHARES AND PRIVATE PLACEMENT WARRANTS

The founder shares and private placement warrants and any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in agreements with us to be entered into by our initial stockholders, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants, the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A common stock underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our initial stockholders, officers, directors or members of our strategic advisory group, any affiliates or family members of any of our initial stockholders, officers, directors or members of our strategic advisory group or any affiliate of our initial stockholders, officers, directors or members of our strategic advisory group, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family, to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the

 

 

 

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consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (g) in the case of an entity, by virtue of the laws of its jurisdiction or operating agreement upon dissolution; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement and by the same agreements entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).

 

 

 

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Certain relationships and related party transactions

In September 2020, we issued 7,187,500 founder shares to our sponsor in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. In November 2020, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 150,000 founder shares to our independent director nominees. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Up to an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.

Our sponsor has agreed, pursuant to a written agreement, that it will purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 (or 7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants for a purchase price of $1.00 per warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, its interest in this transaction is valued at between $7,000,000 and $7,750,000, depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The private placement warrants (and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the 24-month time period or during any Extension Period.

Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on the NYSE through the earlier of completion of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will reimburse Full Circle Capital Services Limited, an affiliate of our sponsor, for certain administrative, research, transaction and other support services provided to us in the total amount of up to $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months.

No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us to our initial stockholders, officers, directors and members of our strategic advisory group, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination, except that at the closing of our initial business combination, we may pay any of such individuals or entities a customary financial consulting fee, which will not be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination. We may pay such financial consulting fee in the event such party or parties provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present conflicts of interest. We would disclose any such fee in the proxy or tender offer materials used in connection with a proposed business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential

 

 

 

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target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our initial stockholders, 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 $200,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earliest of December 31, 2020, the closing of this offering and our determination not to proceed with the offering. As of September 3, 2020, there was no outstanding balance under the note. The loan and advances will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as described above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, if any, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.

We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and their respective component securities) and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Registration Rights.”

RELATED PARTY POLICY

We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.

 

 

 

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Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. A form of the code of ethics that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. A form of the audit committee charter that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that solicits 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.

In light of the involvement of our initial stockholders, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses or entities affiliated with them or otherwise acquire a business that later becomes affiliated with them or otherwise carry out non-arm’s length transactions with any of such parties. To minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our initial stockholders, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to us from a financial point of view.

 

 

 

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Description of securities

We are a Delaware corporation and our affairs are governed by our certificate of incorporation and the DGCL. Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock. 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 share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.

The Class A common stock 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 UBS Securities LLC and Moelis & Co. inform us of their decision (based upon, among other things, their assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets, of comparably capitalized companies and of blank check companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular) to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants. Additionally, we expect that the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.

In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet promptly after the completion of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

COMMON STOCK

Upon the closing of this offering, 31,250,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares by our initial stockholders), consisting of:

 

Ø  

25,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering; and

 

Ø  

6,250,000 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders.

 

 

 

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If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering).

Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by law. Unless specified in our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

Because our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, 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 shares of Class A common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.

In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws, unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

We will provide our public stockholders 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, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the Representatives. The redemption rights may include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. If a stockholder vote is not required

 

 

 

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by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, 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 certificate of incorporation 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, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other 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 stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming any Excess Shares, without our consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our stockholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to their founder shares, we would need only 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). However, because we generally only need a majority of the outstanding shares to be voted in favor of a proposed business combination to have such transaction approved, the number of public shares needed to be voted in favor of any transaction decreases as the overall number of public shares voted decreases. Accordingly, we would need only 1,562,501, or 6.3%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction if only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).

Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, if we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension 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

 

 

 

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thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering.

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders 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 stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.

FOUNDER SHARES

The founder shares designated as Class B common stock and are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (A) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, (iii) the founder shares are shares of our Class B common stock that will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock 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 pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights as described herein and (iv) the holders are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote any founder

 

 

 

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shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Permitted transferees of the founder shares and private placement warrants and their component securities will be subject to the same restrictions described herein applicable to the holders of such securities.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as described herein). In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination (including pursuant to a specified future issuance), the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including pursuant to a specified future issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial business combination). We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B common stock at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A stockholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock. If such adjustment is not waived, the issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B common stock, but would reduce the percentage ownership of our public stockholders. If such adjustment is waived, the issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our common stock. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our initial stockholders, officers and directors or their affiliates, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

PREFERRED STOCK

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that shares of preferred stock 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 stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and

 

 

 

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could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering.

REDEEMABLE WARRANTS

Public Stockholders’ Warrants

Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described below. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption is available. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.

We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our reasonable best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our reasonable best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. If a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In addition, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of

 

 

 

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public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.     Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):

 

Ø  

in whole and not in part;

 

Ø  

at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

Ø  

upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and

 

Ø  

if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants.

We have established the $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment) redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

If we call the warrants for redemption for cash as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and

 

 

 

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thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, our sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise the private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00.     Commencing ninety days after the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:

 

Ø  

in whole and not in part;

 

Ø  

at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock to be determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described below;

 

Ø  

if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders;

 

Ø  

if, and only if, the private placement warrants are also concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above; and

 

Ø  

if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock (or a security other than the Class A common stock into which the Class A common stock has been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination) issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given.

The numbers in the table below represent the number of shares of Class A common stock that a warrant holder will receive upon exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined based on the average of the last reported sales price for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the warrants, each as set forth in the table below. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A common stock shall include a security other than Class A common stock into which the Class A common stock has been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination. The numbers in the tables below will not be adjusted solely as a result of us not being the surviving entity following our initial business combination.

The stock prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant is adjusted as set forth in the first three paragraphs under the heading “—Anti-dilution Adjustments” below. The adjusted stock prices in the column headings will equal the stock prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a

 

 

 

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fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant as so adjusted. The number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant.

 

Redemption
Date (period to
expiration of
warrants)

 

  Fair Market Value of Class A Common Stock  
  £$10.00     $11.00     $12.00     $13.00      $14.00      $15.00      $16.00      $17.00      ³$18.00  

57 months

    0.233       0.255       0.275       0.293        0.309        0.324        0.338        0.350        0.361  

54 months

    0.229       0.251       0.272       0.291        0.307        0.323        0.337        0.350        0.361  

51 months

    0.225       0.248       0.269       0.288        0.305        0.321        0.336        0.349        0.361  

48 months

    0.220       0.243       0.265       0.285        0.303        0.320        0.335        0.349        0.361  

45 months

    0.214       0.239       0.261       0.282        0.301        0.318        0.334        0.348        0.361  

42 months

    0.208       0.234       0.257       0.278        0.298        0.316        0.333        0.348        0.361  

39 months

    0.202       0.228       0.252       0.275        0.295        0.314        0.331        0.347        0.361  

36 months

    0.195       0.222       0.247       0.271        0.292        0.312        0.330        0.346        0.361  

33 months

    0.187       0.215       0.241       0.266        0.288        0.309        0.328        0.345        0.361  

30 months

    0.179       0.208       0.235       0.261        0.284        0.306        0.326        0.345        0.361  

27 months

    0.170       0.199       0.228       0.255        0.280        0.303        0.324        0.343        0.361  

24 months

    0.159       0.190       0.220       0.248        0.274        0.299        0.322        0.342        0.361  

21 months

    0.148       0.179       0.210       0.240        0.268        0.295        0.319        0.341        0.361  

18 months

    0.135       0.167       0.200       0.231        0.261        0.289        0.315        0.339        0.361  

15 months

    0.120       0.153       0.187       0.220        0.253        0.283        0.311        0.337        0.361  

12 months

    0.103       0.137       0.172       0.207        0.242        0.275        0.306        0.335        0.361  

9 months

    0.083       0.117       0.153       0.191        0.229        0.266        0.300        0.332        0.361  

6 months

    0.059       0.092       0.130       0.171        0.213        0.254        0.292        0.328        0.361  

3 months

    0.030       0.060       0.100       0.145        0.193        0.240        0.284        0.324        0.361  

0 months

    0.000       0.000       0.042       0.115        0.179        0.233        0.281        0.324        0.361  

For example, if the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $11 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.255 shares of Class A common stock for each whole warrant. However, the exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued for each warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.284 shares of Class A common stock for each whole warrant. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant. Once the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock exceeds $18.00, we will have the option to redeem the warrants using this method or as described above under the heading “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.”

 

 

 

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This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of warrants only when the trading price for the Class A common stock exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding warrants to be redeemed when the Class A common stock is trading at or above $10.00 per share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Class A common stock is below the exercise price of the warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the warrants without the warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares representing the applicable redemption price for their warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure. As such, we would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants.

As stated above, we can redeem the warrants when the Class A common stock is trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the warrants when the Class A common stock is trading at a price below the exercise price of the warrants, this could result in the warrant holders receiving fewer shares of Class A common stock than they would have received if they had exercised their warrants for shares of Class A common stock if and when the Class A common stock trades at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.

No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round up to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security.

Exercise Limitations.    A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.8% or 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.

Anti-Dilution Adjustments.    If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) multiplied by (ii) one

 

 

 

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(1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A common stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.

In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.

If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.

Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such

 

 

 

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reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.

In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and the Market Value is below $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), then the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per-share redemption trigger price described under “—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” and “—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock or any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up to the nearest whole number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

Private Placement Warrants

The private placement warrants (including the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination

 

 

 

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(except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” each of which will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees (except as described under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”). Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, have the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis and our sponsor or its permitted transferees will also have certain registration rights related to the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as described below. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Each of the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans shall be identical to the private placement warrants.

If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis other than in connection with the above $10.00 redemption, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “private warrant fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the private warrant fair market value. The “private warrant fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could sell the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.

In order to fund working capital deficiencies finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest basis as may be required. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.

DIVIDENDS

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be

 

 

 

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limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering).

OUR TRANSFER AGENT AND WARRANT AGENT

The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.

OUR CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

Our certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20.0% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:

 

Ø  

If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;

 

Ø  

We may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof, prior to our initial business combination, to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation;

 

Ø  

In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to us from a financial point of view;

 

Ø  

If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other 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

 

 

 

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  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;

 

Ø  

Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination;

 

Ø  

If our stockholders approve an amendment to our certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or any amendments to our certificate of incorporation specified in this paragraph or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; and

 

Ø  

We will not complete our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

In addition, our certificate of incorporation will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.

CERTAIN ANTI-TAKEOVER PROVISIONS OF DELAWARE LAW AND OUR CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION AND BYLAWS

We will be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers upon completion of this offering. This statute prevents certain Delaware corporations, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with:

 

Ø  

a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”);

 

Ø  

an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or

 

Ø  

an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder.

A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:

 

Ø  

our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction;

 

Ø  

after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or

 

Ø  

on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an

 

 

 

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  affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder.

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual meetings.

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock will be available for future issuances without stockholder approval (including a specified future issuance) and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Exclusive Forum For Certain Lawsuits

Our certificate of incorporation will require, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, our certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

Special Meeting of Stockholders

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our Chief Executive Officer or by our Chairman.

Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders,

 

 

 

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must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.

Action by Written Consent

Subsequent to the consummation of the offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our common stockholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders other than with respect to our Class B common stock.

Classified Board of Directors

Our board of directors will initially be divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preferred stock, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.

Class B Common Stock Consent Right

For so long as any shares of Class B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our certificate of incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B common stock were present and voted.

SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Immediately after the consummation of this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) we will have 31,250,000 (or 35,937,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of common stock outstanding. Of these shares, the 25,000,000 shares (or 28,750,000 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

 

 

 

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remaining shares and all private placement warrants are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and the shares of Class B common stock and private placement warrants are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be subject to registration rights as more fully described below under “—Registration Rights.”

RULE 144

Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.

Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:

 

Ø  

1% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock then outstanding, which will equal 312,500 shares immediately after this offering (or 359,375 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or

 

Ø  

the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A common stock 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:

 

Ø  

the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

 

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the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

 

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the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and materials required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and

 

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at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

As a result, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.

 

 

 

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REGISTRATION RIGHTS

We will enter into a registration rights agreement with the holders of the founder shares and private placement warrants. The holders will have registration rights to require us to register the sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of the majority of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other 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 lockup period, which occurs (i) in the case of the founder shares, as described in the following paragraph, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective shares of our Class A common stock underlying such warrants, 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.

LISTING OF SECURITIES

We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE under the symbol “GFX.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and public warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that our Class A common stock and public warrants will be separately listed on the NYSE under the symbols “GFX” and “GFX WS”, respectively. We cannot assure you that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE.

 

 

 

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United States federal income tax considerations

The following is a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants, 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 Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A common stock and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering.

This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to 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, including but not limited to:

 

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financial institutions or financial services entities;

 

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broker-dealers;

 

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governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;

 

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regulated investment companies;

 

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real estate investment trusts;

 

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expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;

 

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persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares;

 

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insurance companies;

 

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dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities;

 

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persons holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction;

 

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U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

 

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partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; and

 

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tax-exempt entities.

If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership holding our securities, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our securities.

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

 

 

 

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hereof, which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, and 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).

We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion. You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.

PERSONAL HOLDING COMPANY STATUS

We could be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our initial stockholders and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not be a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

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 common stock and one-half of one warrant to acquire one share of our Class A common stock. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one share of Class A common stock and the one-half of one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of Class A common stock and the one-half of one warrant should be the stockholder’s tax basis in such share or one-half of one warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S.

 

 

 

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federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A common stock and the one-half of one warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder based on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of shares of Class A common stock and warrants comprising units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The foregoing treatment of the shares of Class A common stock and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

U.S. HOLDERS

This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, shares of Class A common stock or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

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an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

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a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

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an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

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a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

Taxation of Distributions.    If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. holders of shares of our Class A common stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below.

Dividends we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder generally will constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at preferential long-term capital gains rates. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. holder from satisfying the

 

 

 

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applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.

Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.    Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A common stock or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities 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 common stock or warrants. 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 common stock or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Class A common stock is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. 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 common stock or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A common stock or the warrants based upon the then fair market values of the Class A common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A common stock or one-half of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for Class A common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Class A common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.

Redemption of Class A Common Stock.    In the event that a U.S. holder’s Class A common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s Class A common stock 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 a sale of the Class A common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of common stock, 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 Common Stock and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions”. Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend

 

 

 

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largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A common stock generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A common stock (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 stock actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock 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 stock the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Class A common stock must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our stock 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 stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares of our stock. The redemption of the Class A common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if the redemption 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 stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.

If none of the foregoing tests 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 common stock will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.

Exercise Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.    Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss on the acquisition of common stock upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the share of our Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period

 

 

 

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will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.

The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the Class A common stock received would equal the holder’s basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear when a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Class A common stock would be treated as commencing. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A common stock would include the holding period of the warrants exercised therefor.

It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in whole or in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having an aggregate fair market value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the Class A common stock received in respect of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in such warrants. Such gain or loss would be long-term or short-term, depending on the U.S. holder’s holding period in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrants exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant. There may also be alternative characterizations of any such taxable exchange that would result in similar tax consequences, except that a U.S. Holder’s gain or loss would be short-term.

Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A common stock received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.

We intend to treat a cashless exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.10 as described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” as a redemption for U.S. federal income tax purposes. While not free from doubt, such redemption should be treated as a “recapitalization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(E) of the Code. Accordingly, a U.S. holder should not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock. In such event, a U.S. holder’s aggregate tax basis in the shares of Class A common stock received in the redemption generally should equal the U.S. holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period for the shares of Class A common stock received should include the U.S. holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants. However, there is some uncertainty regarding this tax treatment and it is possible such a redemption could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized in a manner similar to that discussed above for a cashless exercise of warrants. Accordingly, a

 

 

 

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U.S. holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock.

If we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”

Possible Constructive Distributions.    The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our Class A common stock, in each case which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as a distribution. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest resulting from the adjustment.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.    In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn). Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. All U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

NON-U.S. HOLDERS

This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, Class A common stock or warrants who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

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a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates);

 

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a foreign corporation or

 

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an estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder;

but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor

 

 

 

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regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.

Taxation of Distributions.    In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a Non-U.S. holder of shares of our Class A common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sales proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Class A common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.

The withholding tax does not apply to dividends paid to a Non-U.S. holder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax as if the Non-U.S. holder were a United States resident, subject to an applicable income tax treaty providing otherwise. A Non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower applicable treaty rate).

Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.    A Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:

 

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the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder); or

 

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we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. holder held our Class A common stock, and, in the case where shares of our Class A common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Class A common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. holder’s holding period

 

 

 

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  for the shares of our Class A common stock. There can be no assurance that our Class A common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.

Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. holder were a United States resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower treaty rate).

If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Class A common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50 percent of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Redemption of Class A Common Stock.    The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s Class A common stock generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s Class A common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders—Redemption of Class A Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.

Exercise or Redemption of a Warrant.    The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described above in “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”

We intend to treat a cashless exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.10 as described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” as a redemption for U.S. federal income tax purposes. While not free from doubt, such redemption should be treated as a “recapitalization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(E) of the Code. Accordingly, a Non-U.S. holder should not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock.

In such event, a Non-U.S. holder’s aggregate tax basis in the shares of Class A common stock received in the redemption generally should equal the Non-U.S. holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period for the shares of Class A common stock received should include the Non-U.S. holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants. However, there is some uncertainty regarding this tax treatment and it is possible such a redemption could be treated in part as a taxable

 

 

 

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exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized in a manner similar to that discussed above for a cashless exercise of warrants. Accordingly, a Non-U.S. holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock.

The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. holder of a redemption of warrants for cash described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” (or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction) would be similar to those described above in “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”

Possible Constructive Distributions.    The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The Non-U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrantholders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our Class A common stock, in each case which is taxable to the holders of such shares as a distribution. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax in the same manner as if the Non-U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest resulting from the adjustment.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.    Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants. A Non-U.S. holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty generally will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax.    The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

All Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

FATCA Withholding Taxes.    Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends in respect of our securities which are held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and

 

 

 

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accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (2) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. authorities. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which our securities are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of our securities held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. All prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our securities.

 

 

 

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Underwriting

UBS Securities LLC and Moelis & Co. are acting as joint book-running managers of this offering and as representatives of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to such underwriter, the number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.

 

Underwriter    Number of Units  

UBS Securities LLC

  

Moelis & Co.

  

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

  

Total

     25,000,000  

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the underwriters’ over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.

The offering of the units by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $         per unit. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms after completion of the initial public offering. The Representative 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 3,750,000 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 underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.

We, our initial stockholders 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 UBS Securities LLC and Moelis & Co., offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, shares of common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock, subject to certain exceptions. UBS Securities LLC and Moelis & Co. in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement warrants pursuant to the letter agreement described herein.

Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares, and any Class A common stock issued upon conversion thereof, until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as

 

 

 

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adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). The private placement warrants and the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable by the holders or their permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the Representatives. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A common stock or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A common stock or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.

We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE under the symbol “GFX.U.” We expect that our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed under the symbols “GFX” and “GFX WS,” respectively, once the Class A common stock and warrants 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.

 

     Payable by Golden Falcon
Acquisition Corp.
 
      No Exercise      Full Exercise  

Per Unit (1)

   $ 0.55      $ 0.55  

Total (1)

   $ 13,750,000      $ 15,812,500  

 

(1)   Includes $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the Representative for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the Representative only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus.

If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period and subsequently liquidate, the trustee and the Representatives have agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions,

 

 

 

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including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation, and (ii) that the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, to the public stockholders.

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option and stabilizing purchases, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

 

Ø  

Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in the offering.

 

Ø  

“Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

Ø  

“Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

Ø  

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.

 

Ø  

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.

 

Ø  

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.

 

Ø  

Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, 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. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.

The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representative has repurchased units sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $1,000,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for all expenses and fees related to the review by FINRA, including counsel fees which will not exceed $25,000.

We have agreed to indemnify the several 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.

 

 

 

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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, we expect affiliates of UBS Securities LLC and Moelis & Co. will manage the funds placed in the trust account upon consummation of this offering and may therefore have an ongoing relationship with us. Additionally, 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 90 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 a business combination.

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. Some of the underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, including in connection with acting in an advisory capacity or as a potential financing source in conjunction with our potential acquisition of a company. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to assets, securities and/or instruments of the issuer (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise) and/or persons and entities with relationships with the issuer. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they should acquire, long and/or short positions in such assets, securities and instruments.

We have agreed that until the earlier of (i) September 15, 2023 and (ii) the consummation of our initial business combination, UBS Securities LLC shall have a right of first refusal to act as exclusive capital markets advisor, placement agent, or book-running lead manager, as the case may be, in connection with any private placement or public offering of equity, equity-linked or debt (including, without limitation, asset-backed) securities.

Two members of our sponsor are affiliated with one of the underwriters participating in this offering and will be allocated an aggregate of 80,000 founder shares and 40,000 private placement warrants as a result of their membership in the sponsor. The securities allocated to these members have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or

 

 

 

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hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the public offering, except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners, provided that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lockup restriction above for the remainder of the time period. We have granted certain registration rights relating to such securities as described under the section “Securities Eligible for Future Sale -- Registration Rights.” The demand and piggyback registration rights being granted with respect to such securities will be subject to FINRA Rule 5110.05.

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “relevant member state”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that relevant member state (the “relevant implementation date”), an offer of units described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member state or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant member state and notified to the competent authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that, with effect from and including the relevant implementation date, an offer of our units may be made to the public in that relevant member state at any time:

 

Ø  

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

 

Ø  

to fewer than 100, or, if the relevant member state has implemented the relevant provisions 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 relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by the issuer for any such offer; or natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined below) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or

 

Ø  

in any other circumstances that do not require the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

provided that no such offer of units referred to in the bullet points above shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

Each purchaser of units described in this prospectus located within a relevant member state will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive.

For the purpose of this provision, the expression an “offer of units to the public” 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 for the units, as the expression may be varied in that member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that 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 by the relevant member state) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state. The expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

 

 

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We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of units through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the units as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the units, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the units on behalf of us or the underwriters.

Furthermore, the units are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available by any person to any retail investor in the European Economic Area (the “EEA”). For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, “MiFID II”); (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive 2002/92/EC, as amended, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II or (iii) not a qualified investor as defined in Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended, including by Directive 2010/73/EU, the “Prospectus Directive”). Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the “PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the units or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the units or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation. This prospectus has been prepared on the basis that any offer of units in any member state of the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of units. This prospectus is not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Directive.

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 (the “Order”) or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (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 FRANCE

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (“AMF”) or by the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the AMF. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:

 

Ø  

released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or

 

Ø  

used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France.

Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:

 

Ø  

to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;

 

 

 

 

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Ø  

to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or

 

Ø  

in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1° -or-2° -or  3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the AMF, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne).

The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN HONG KONG

The units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the units 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 in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN SINGAPORE

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.

Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is

 

Ø  

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

 

Ø  

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures 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 shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

 

 

 

 

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Underwriting

 

 

Ø  

to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than $200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA;

 

Ø  

where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or

 

Ø  

where the transfer is by operation of law.

Notification under Section 309B of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore: The units are prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018 and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN JAPAN

The securities have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law) and each underwriter has agreed that it will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN CANADA

The units may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the units must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

 

 

 

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Legal matters

Greenberg Traurig, LLP, New York, New York, is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus. In connection with this offering, Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

Experts

The financial statements of Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp. as of September 3, 2020 and for the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through September 3, 2020 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum 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 Golden Falcon 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 on such report given on the authority of such firm as an experts in auditing and accounting.

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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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 

     Page  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2  

Financial Statements:

  

Balance Sheet

     F-4  

Statement of Operations

     F-5  

Statement of Changes in Stockholder’s Equity

     F-6  

Statement of Cash Flows

     F-7  

Notes to Financial Statements

     F-8  

 

 

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholder and the Board of Directors of

Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of September 3, 2020, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through September 3, 2020, 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 3, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through September 3, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH—GOING CONCERN

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent on the completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficit as of September 3, 2020 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for 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 with regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might become necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

BASIS FOR OPINION

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

 

 

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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 LLP

Marcum LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.

New York, NY

September 15, 2020

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

 

BALANCE SHEET

September 3, 2020

 

ASSETS   

Current asset—cash

   $ 25,000  

Deferred offering costs

     55,000  
  

 

 

 

TOTAL ASSETS

   $ 80,000  
  

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY   

Current liabilities:

  

Accrued expenses

   $ 422  

Accrued offering costs

     55,000  
  

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

     55,422  
  

 

 

 

Commitments

  
Stockholder’s Equity   

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

     —    

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding

     —    

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 7,187,500 shares issued and outstanding(1)

     719  

Additional paid-in capital

     24,281  

Accumulated deficit

     (422
  

 

 

 

Total Stockholder’s Equity

     24,578  
  

 

 

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

   $ 80,000  
  

 

 

 

 

(1)   Includes 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

 

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

For the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through

September 3, 2020

 

Formation and operating costs

   $ 422  
  

 

 

 

Net Loss

   $ (422
  

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1)

     6,250,000  
  

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per common stock

   $ (0.00
  

 

 

 

 

(1)   Excludes 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

 

STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

For the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through

September 3, 2020

 

     Class B
Common Stock
    

Additional
Paid-in

Capital

    

Accumulated

Deficit

   

Total
Stockholder’s

Equity

 
      Shares      Amount  

Balance—August 24, 2020 (inception)

     —        $ —        $ —        $ —       $ —    

Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor(1)

     7,187,500        719        24,281        —         25,000  

Net loss

     —          —          —          (422     (422
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance—September 3, 2020

     7,187,500      $ 719      $ 24,281      $ (422   $ 24,578  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)   Includes 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

 

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through

September 3, 2020

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:   

Net loss

   $ (422

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

  

Accrued expenses

     422  
  

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

     —    
  

 

 

 
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:   

Proceeds from sale of Class B common stock to Sponsor

     25,000  
  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

     25,000  
  

 

 

 

Net Change in Cash

     25,000  

Cash—Beginning of period

     —    
  

 

 

 

Cash—End of period

   $ 25,000  
  

 

 

 
Non-cash investing and financing activities:   

Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs

   $ 55,000  
  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations

Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on August 24, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”).

The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

As of September 3, 2020, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through September 3, 2020 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 25,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of 7,000,000 warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, in a private placement to Golden Falcon Sponsor Group, LLC (the “Sponsor”), that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.

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 Placement Warrants, 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 must complete a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into an initial Business Combination. 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 it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or don’t vote at all.

Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

The Company will have until 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.00 per Public Share or (2) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

Going Concern Consideration

At September 3, 2020, the Company had $25,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of $30,422. 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 plans to address this uncertainty through a Proposed Public Offering as 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 within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Note 2—Summary of 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 (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of September 3, 2020.

Deferred Offering Costs

Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to stockholder’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.

Income Taxes

The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of September 3, 2020. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from August 24, 2020 (inception) through September 3, 2020.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

Net Loss Per Common Share

Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 937,500 shares of common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). At September 3, 2020, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares of common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.

Concentration of credit risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

Recent Accounting Standards

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.

Note 3—Proposed Public Offering

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale 25,000,000 Units (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share (see Note 7).

Note 4—Private Placement

The Sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000 (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Private Placement Warrants.

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

Note 5—Related Party Transactions

Founder Shares

On September 2, 2020, the Company issued an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”) to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 in cash. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor will own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).

The Sponsor has agreed that, subject to certain limited exceptions, the Founder Shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Promissory Notes—Related Party

On September 2, 2020, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $200,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2020 or (i) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of September 3, 2020, there was no outstanding balance under the Promissory Note.

Administrative Services Agreement

The Company intends to enter into an agreement pursuant to which the Company will pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a total of up to $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for certain administrative, research, transaction and other support services. Upon completion of the Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.

Related Party Loans

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the initial stockholders or an affiliate of the initial stockholders or certain of the Company’s directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any,

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.

Note 6—Commitments

Registration Rights Agreement

The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans) will have registration rights to require the Company to register the sale of any of its securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering. The holders of the majority of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights to include the securities in other registration statements filed subsequent to completion of a 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 lockup period. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidating damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the Company’s securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement

The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or $10,062,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Right of First Refusal

The Company has agreed that until the earlier of (i) September 15, 2023 and (ii) the consummation of a Business Combination, UBS Securities LLC shall have a right of first refusal to act as exclusive capital markets advisor, placement agent, or book-running lead manager, as the case may be, in connection with any private placement or public offering of equity, equity-linked or debt (including, without limitation, asset-backed) securities.

 

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

Allocation of Securities to Affiliates of Underwriters

Two members of the Sponsor are affiliated with one of the underwriters participating in the Proposed Public Offering and will be allocated an aggregate of 80,000 Founder Shares and 40,000 Private Placement Warrants as a result of their membership in the Sponsor. The securities allocated to these members have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be sold during the Proposed Public Offering or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering or commencement of sales of the Proposed Public Offering, except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the Proposed Public Offering and their bona fide officers or partners, provided that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lockup restriction above for the remainder of the time period.

Note 7—Stockholder’s Equity

Preferred Stock—The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At September 3, 2020, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

Class A Common Stock—The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At September 3, 2020, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.

Class B Common Stock—The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At September 3, 2020, there were 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 937,500 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 Sponsor will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).

Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders except as required by law.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Proposed Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including pursuant to a specified future issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in a Business Combination).

Warrants—Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue a share of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless the share of Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.

The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. If a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In addition, if the Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elect, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but it will be required to use its best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants (except with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):

 

Ø  

in whole and not in part;

 

Ø  

at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

Ø  

upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

Ø  

if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if the Company is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00. Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

 

Ø  

in whole and not in part;

 

Ø  

at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock, based on the redemption date and the fair market value of the Class A common stock;

 

Ø  

if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities) on the trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders;

 

Ø  

if, and only if, the Private Placement Warrants are also concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above; and

 

Ø  

if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given.

If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of Class A common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A common (with such issue price or

 

 

 

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Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates a Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively.

The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

Note 8—Subsequent Events

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to September 15, 2020, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

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$250,000,000

25,000,000 Units

Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp.

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

            , 2020

 

 

 

UBS Investment Bank    Moelis & Co.

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

Until                , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade shares of our securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

 


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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:

 

SEC expenses

   $ 31,370  

FINRA expenses

     43,630  

Accounting fees and expenses

     30,000  

Printing and engraving expenses

     36,000  

Travel and road show expenses

     25,000  

Legal fees and expenses

     275,000  

NYSE listing and filing fees

     85,000  

Director & Officer liability insurance premiums(1)

     400,000  

Miscellaneous

     74,000  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 1,000,000  
  

 

 

 

 

(1)   This amount represents the approximate amount of annual director and officer liability insurance premiums the registrant anticipates paying following the completion of its initial public offering and until it completes a business combination.

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

“Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

(a) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

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(b) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

(c) To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

(d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.

(e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

(f) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.

(g) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.

 

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(h) For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

(i) For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.

(j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

(k) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.

The right to indemnification which will be conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.

 

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The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Our bylaws include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those which will be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.

We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the Underwriter and the Underwriter has 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.

 

(a)   During the past three years, we sold the following shares of Class B common stock without registration under the Securities Act:

 

Stockholders

   Number of Shares  

Golden Falcon Sponsor Group, LLC

     7,187,500  

Such shares were issued in September 2020 in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as the shares were sold to an accredited investor. The shares issued were sold for an offering price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.003 per share.

 

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In November 2020, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 150,000 founder shares to our independent director nominees. The Company’s sponsor has agreed that it will purchase 7,000,000 warrants at $1.00 per private warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000), or 7,750,000 (for $7,750,000) if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full. This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of the initial public offering. The 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 with respect to such sales.

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a) The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

 

Exhibit No.

    

Description

  1.1     

Form of Underwriting Agreement.*

  3.1     

Certificate of Incorporation.*

  3.2     

Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.*

  3.3     

Bylaws.*

  4.1     

Specimen Unit Certificate.*

  4.2     

Specimen Common Stock Certificate.*

  4.3     

Specimen Warrant Certificate.*

  4.4     

Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer  & Trust Company and the Registrant.*

  5.1     

Opinion of Greenberg Traurig, LLP.*

  10.1     

Form of Letter Agreement between the Registrant and the Sponsor.*

  10.2     

Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant and each officer, director and director nominee.*

  10.3     

Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*

  10.4     

Promissory Note.*

  10.5     

Subscription Agreement, dated September  2, 2020, between the Registrant and the Sponsor.*

  10.6     

Form of Registration Rights Agreement.*

  10.7     

Form of Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement.*

  10.8     

Form of Indemnity Agreement.*

  10.9     

Form of Administrative Services Agreement.*

  14     

Form of Code of Ethics.*

  23.1     

Consent of Marcum LLP.*

  23.2     

Consent of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).*

  24     

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the initial filing of this Registration Statement).

  99.1     

Form of Audit Committee Charter.*

  99.2     

Form of Compensation Committee Charter.*

  99.3     

Form of Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter.*

  99.4     

Consent of Isabelle Amiel Azoulai.*

  99.5     

Consent of Mikael Breuer-Weil.*

  99.6     

Consent of Dominique D’Hinnin.*

  99.7     

Consent of I. Martin Pompadur.*

  99.8     

Consent of Xavier Rolet KBE.*

 

*   Filed herewith.

 

(b)   Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement.

 

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Item 17. Undertakings.

 

(a)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

 

(b)   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

(c)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

 

  (1)   For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

  (2)   For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of London, United Kingdom, on the 1st day of December, 2020.

 

GOLDEN FALCON ACQUISITION CORP.

BY:

  /s/ Makram Azar
  Name: Makram Azar
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Makram Azar and Scott J. Freidheim his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, and agent 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 granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Name

  

Position

  

Date

 

/s/ Scott J. Freidheim

Scott J. Freidheim

  

Chairman of the Board of Directors

 

  

December 1, 2020

 

/s/ Makram Azar

Makram Azar

  

Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

   December 1, 2020

/s/ Eli Muraidekh

Eli Muraidekh

  

Chief Financial Officer and Director

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

   December 1, 2020

 

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