424B4 1 armada424b4.htm ARMADA ACQUISITION CORP. FORM 424B4

 

PROSPECTUS Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
  Registration No. 333-257692
   

$150,000,000 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I 

15,000,000 Units

 

 

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region although we intend to focus on target businesses that provide technological services to the financial services industry (“FinTech”) with an enterprise value of approximately $500 million to $1.0 billion, with particular emphasis on businesses that provide digital, on-line or mobile payment solutions, processing and gateway services, point-of-sale technology, consumer engagement platforms, and ecommerce and loyalty solutions .

 

We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will redeem 100% of the public shares for a pro rata portion of the trust account, 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 tax obligations, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.

 

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit that we are offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one share of common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Only whole warrants are exercisable. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Each warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of an initial business combination and will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We have granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

Up to 10 qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors, (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or any other anchor investor), which we refer to as the “anchor investors”, have each expressed an interest to purchase up to 9.9% of the units sold in this offering (excluding any units sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), or 1,485,000 units. We do not expect that all of the anchor investors will be allocated the full 9.9% of the units to be sold, and such allocations will be determined by the underwriters. There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, none of the anchor investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. Subject to each anchor investor purchasing 100% of the units allocated to it, in connection with the closing of this offering, our sponsor will sell membership interests reflecting an allocation of 131,250 founder shares to each anchor investor, or an aggregate of 1,312,500 founder shares to all 10 anchor investors, at a purchase price of approximately $0.006 per share. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with our anchor investors, see “Summary — The Offering — Expressions of Interest.”

 

Our sponsor, Armada Sponsor LLC, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “sponsor,” has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 459,500 shares of common stock, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as “private shares,” at a price of $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering.

 

There is presently no public market for our units, shares of common stock or warrants. Our units have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “AACIU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless the representative informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the common stock and warrants are expected to be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “AACI” and “AACIW,” respectively.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act and will therefore be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission 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     $ 150,000,000  
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)   $ 0.10     $ 1,500,000  
Proceeds, before expenses, to us   $ 9.90     $ 148,500,000  

 

 

  (1)

If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 1.0% of the gross proceeds from the over-allotment ($0.10 per unit or up to $225,000 in the aggregate) will be deposited in the trust account as deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred commissions will be released to the representative of the underwriters only upon completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. The underwriters have also received and will receive compensation in addition to the underwriting discount. See “Underwriting” for further information relating to the underwriting compensation we will pay in this offering.

 

Upon consummation of the offering, an aggregate of $150,000,000 (or $172,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) or $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. The trustee will deposit the proceeds in a brokerage account located in the United States at Goldman Sachs. The proceeds will be invested at the direction of the trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our redemption of our public shares.

 

The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to purchasers on or about August 17, 2021.

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

 

Northland Capital Markets

 

August 12, 2021

 

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.

 

 

 

 

 

ARMADA ACQUISITION CORP. I

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

     
    Page
Prospectus Summary   1
Risk Factors   20
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements   42
Use of Proceeds   43
Dividend Policy   45
Dilution   46
Capitalization   47
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations   48
Proposed Business   51
Management   70
Principal Stockholders   76
Certain Transactions   79
Description of Securities   81
Shares Eligible for Future Sale   86
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations   87
Underwriting   95
Legal Matters   103
Experts   103
Where You Can Find Additional Information   104
Index to Financial Statements   F-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

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

 

References in this prospectus to “we,” “us” or “our company” refer to Armada Acquisition Corp. I. References in this prospectus to our “public shares” are to shares of our common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and references to “public stockholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor (as defined below), officers and directors to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that their status as “public stockholders” shall only exist with respect to such public shares. References in this prospectus to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, references to our “initial stockholders” are to our stockholders prior to this offering and references to our “sponsor” refer to Armada Sponsor LLC, a company affiliated with certain of our officers and directors. References in this prospectus to “anchor investors” are to certain qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor (other than as a result of them becoming members of our sponsor in connection with this offering) or any other anchor investor), each of which has expressed an interest to purchase up to 9.9% of the units sold in this offering as further described herein. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities issued in a transaction, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt, that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of common stock. Unless otherwise noted, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option.

 

General

 

We are 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 with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination throughout this prospectus. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding a business combination with our company. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry, we intend to concentrate our efforts identifying businesses in the FinTech industry with an enterprise value of approximately $500 million to $1.0 billion, with particular emphasis on businesses that are providing digital, on-line, or mobile payment solutions, processing and gateway services, point-of-sale technology, consumer engagement platforms, and ecommerce or loyalty solutions.

 

We believe the creation, delivery and servicing of financial payment products and related services for consumers and businesses is undergoing continuous evolution, which will further and dramatically develop in the years ahead. Amid an increased level of sophistication in financial technology and services, we believe that there are many potential targets within the financial technology industry that could become attractive public companies, and that many other potential targets will continue to emerge. These potential targets exhibit a diverse range of business models and growth characteristics, ranging from high-growth companies to established firms with stable revenues and strong cash flow. In addition, these businesses tend to have above-industry growth rates and would greatly benefit from access to public market capital and management’s extensive operational experience in both public and private companies. We believe our management team is well-positioned to capitalize on these trends and to identify, acquire, and manage a business in the financial technologies industry that can benefit from their operational, strategic, managerial and transaction experience, as well as their differentiated networks.

 

We are not, however, required to complete our initial business combination with a financial technologies business and, as a result, we may pursue a business combination outside of that industry. We will seek to acquire established businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound but potentially in need of financial, operational, strategic or managerial redirection to maximize value. We may also look at earlier stage companies that exhibit the potential to change the industries in which they participate and which will offer the potential of sustained high levels of revenue and earnings growth.

 

 

 

1

 

Our Management Team

 

Our management team has significant operational experience working as executives and advisors in the financial technologies industry, particularly in the FinTech payments ecosystem. Our management team consists of seasoned leaders that have years of experience identifying and capitalizing on emerging technological and secular trends across the financial technologies industry, building and scaling high growth FinTech companies, a history of value creation in C-level operating roles in public companies, and delivering operational strategies designed to improve businesses over the long-term. Our management team is experienced in a variety of delivery models, including direct-to-consumer and business-to-business services as well as scalable networks, consumer engagement services, open platform technologies and robust ecosystems. Our management team is also well-versed in the regulatory and quasi-regulatory landscape that directly and indirectly impacts the financial technologies industry. In addition, our management team has significant transaction experience having executed and integrated numerous transactions in the financial technologies industry as operators and advisors. Messrs. Stephen P. Herbert and Douglas M. Lurio, our Chief Executive Officer and President, respectively, have worked together in the FinTech space for over 25 years. From 1996 to 2019, the two worked together at USA Technologies, Inc. (which changed its name to Cantaloupe Inc. on April 15, 2021, NASDAQ: CTLP), a publicly traded FinTech company (“USAT”), of which Mr. Herbert served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for eight years (and as an executive officer prior thereto) and Mr. Lurio served as outside general counsel for 29 years. While at USAT, the two were involved in the company’s private and public funding of over $390 million, including public financings in excess of $100 million, as well as the company’s acquisitions, including the company’s nearly $90 million acquisition of Cantaloupe Systems, Inc. in November 2017. While Messrs. Herbert and Lurio worked together at USAT, the company’s revenues grew from approximately $80,000 to approximately $170 million on an annualized basis, customer connections grew from 135 to 1.2 million, customers grew from approximately 135 to 20,000, annual transaction processing dollars grew from a nominal amount to $1.73 billion, the number of annual customer transactions increased from a nominal amount to nearly 890 million, recurring revenues on an annualized basis increased from a nominal amount to $140 million, and USAT attained its largest market cap of nearly $1 billion as of August 17, 2018.

 

During his tenure at USAT, Mr. Herbert was recognized for his innovative leadership, including by Smart CEO, and as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in the Greater Philadelphia area, and USAT received the following awards: Frost and Sullivan for Customer Value Leadership in the Integrated Financial Services and Retail Market, IoT Evolution Smart Machines Innovation, and a Deloitte Fast 500 Company. Previously, Mr. Herbert was employed by Pepsi-Cola, the beverage division of PepsiCo, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP), and was a Manager of Market Strategy at Pepsi-Cola from 1994 to April 1996, responsible for directing development of market strategy for the vending channel, and subsequently, the supermarket channel for Pepsi-Cola in North America. Mr. Herbert resigned as Chief Executive Officer of USAT on October 17, 2019, and pursuant to his separation agreement was engaged as a consultant to serve as a resource for the incoming interim Chief Executive Officer for a one year period and was subject to a non-compete and a non-solicitation of clients, customers and employees during such one year period. Commencing in October 2020, Mr. Herbert has focused on the business of our Company as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

As a result of adjustments to previously reported revenues that were identified in connection with certain customer transactions, in February 2019, USAT determined to restate certain of its financial statements. Subsequent thereto, and during the audit and restatement process, additional adjustments related to financial reporting and accounting policy issues were identified which were unrelated to the foregoing adjustments. Based upon these additional adjustments, USAT determined to restate additional financial statements. Due to the foregoing, USAT was not able to file certain of its periodic reports within the time period required by Nasdaq, and USAT’s shares were suspended from trading on Nasdaq on September 26, 2019 and were subsequently relisted on Nasdaq. On October 9, 2019, USAT filed its outstanding periodic financial reports and announced that it had raised $20 million in an equity funding and obtained a commitment from the investor to extend a $30 million senior debt term loan facility. USAT has publicly disclosed that it has responded to a subpoena received from a regulatory agency that sought records regarding prior financial reporting periods, including the aforementioned restatements. USAT indicated that it is cooperating fully with the agency's requests.

 

 

 

2

 

Mr. Lurio is a former securities and corporate law partner of the Dilworth Paxson law firm and has been the founder and President of the Lurio & Associates, P.C. law firm since 1991 which specializes in corporate and securities law. He was counsel and a Director of Moro Corporation (OTCQX: MRCR), a Delaware corporation, which is in the construction contracting business, for 20 years from start-up founding in 1999 until July 2019. Since 1989, he has also served as Secretary and Director of Elbeco Incorporated, a leading manufacturer of career apparel and uniforms for first responders such as EMS personnel, police and firefighters.

 

 

In addition to Messrs. Lurio and Herbert, our Board of Directors consists of Mohammad A. Khan, Celso L. White and Thomas (Tad) A. Decker. Our independent directors have highly relevant experiences and skill sets, including prior independent Board experience at United States listed companies, significant private and public equity and capital markets experience, and international transaction and business development experience.

 

Mohammad A. Khan has been an industry leader in the development and adoption of mobile payments, mobile/omni-channel marketing, efficient and secured payment infrastructure, multi factor authentication, and technologies like NFC-contactless, QR codes, tokenization and Blockchain. He is currently the President and a Board member of Omnyway, Inc. (previously OmnyPay), which he co-founded in August 2014, and which abstracts the complexities of disparate digital wallet payment systems to enable elegant, flexible and scalable implementations in physical stores and online. He was the President and Board member of ViVOtech (acquired by Sequent Software, Inc. in August 2012) from the time he founded it in May 2001 until August 2012. ViVOtech pioneered making a mobile device a viable payment media for consumers using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology as well as making mobile an efficient marketing and advertising channel. While at ViVOtech, Mr. Khan assisted in enabling the adoption of NFC mobile payments through shipping of more than 800,000 NFC POS readers to merchants globally and driving more than 20 field trials of NFC mobile payments, coupons, and loyalty. From 1984 until 1998, he was part of the industry team at VeriFone (acquired by Hewlett Packard in 1997) that lead the effort to make Magnetic Stripe Cards the primary payment media for in-store payments, Smart Cards to be secured payment media for in-store payments, and the adoption of Internet payments and online e-commerce globally. From February 2014 to January 2021, Mr. Khan had been a Board advisor of Poynt Co. which offers an all-in-one omnicommerce payment solution and which was acquired by GoDaddy, Inc. (NYSE: GDDY) in February 2021. He has served on the Boards of numerous Fintech companies, including as Chairman of the Board of YellowPepper Holding Corporation from June 2015 to September 2018, which provided mobile payment solutions, and which was acquired by VISA in October 2020. Mr. Khan is the inventor of more than 40 United States patents which have been granted by the United States Trademark and Patent Office.

 

Thomas (Tad) A. Decker has significant experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, complex regulatory and legal issues, financial reporting and accounting and controls. He has also served in senior leadership roles in a number of global organizations such as Cozen O’Connor, Asbury Automotive, Inc., Unisource Worldwide, Inc. and Saint-Gobain Corporation. Since 2013, he has been the Vice Chairman of Cozen O’Connor, a law firm with 30 offices and over 775 attorneys. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the firm from 2007 to 2012, and as Managing Partner from May 2000 until 2004. From 2004 until 2007, he served as inaugural Chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board following the appointment by Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. He served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Asbury Automotive, Inc. from 1999 to 2000; General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Unisource Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: UWW) from 1997 to 1999; and General Counsel, Secretary, Acting CFO and Chief Operating Officer for Saint-Gobain Corporation from 1974 to 1997. He led the corporate merger and acquisition activities during his tenures at Saint-Gobain Corporation and Unisource Worldwide, Inc. Since 2004, he has served on the Board of Directors of Actua Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTA), including serving as a member of its Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. He served as a Director and a member at various times of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of Pierce Leahy Corporation (NYSE: PLH) from 1993 to 1999, and has served as a Board member of numerous nonprofit institutions.

 

Celso L. White brings operational, industry, international business, strategic initiative, risk management and environmental and safety expertise to the Board as well as public Board experience. From 2013 to December 2019, he served as Global Chief Supply Chain Officer at Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP), one of the largest global brewers with more than 40 breweries in the United States, Canada, Europe and India and worldwide distribution, and with annual net sales of approximately $10.6 billion during 2019. From 2010 to January 2013, he was Vice President of International Supply Chain at Molson Coors. From 1998 to 2010, he was at PepsiCola (Nasdaq: PEP), leading the R&D process and manufacturing technology teams from 1998 to 2004, and then as Vice President and General Manager of Concentrate Operations, responsible for the Americas and parts of Asia, from 2004 to 2010. He served in various senior operational roles at Silgin White Corp. from 1984 until 1990, M&M/Mars from 1990 until 1993, and Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) from 1993 until 1998. In January 2020, he co-founded Igniting Business Growth LLC, a consultancy business. Since 2018, Mr. White has served as a Board member and a member of the Compensation and Management Development Committee of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CF), one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of nitrogen fertilizer and other nitrogen products. He serves on the Board of Colorado UpLift, whose mission is to build long-term, life-changing relationships with urban youth, based in Denver, Colorado. He is also a member of the Bradley University Board of Trustees.

 

3

 

We believe that our management team’s extensive relationships across the financial service industries, comprehensive operating experience building leading companies, transaction experience in acquiring and integrating businesses and focus on partnering with management teams to share our industry knowledge and network of long-standing industry relationships will enable us to access premium acquisition opportunities, consummate an initial business combination and facilitate innovative operational improvements and potential additional acquisitions post-close. Our collective experience in addressing complex situations across consumer- and business-facing business models involving a variety of revenue models and constituents, including the FinTech payment ecosystem and related consumer engagement platforms, and developing creative solutions will give us a competitive advantage.

 

Notwithstanding the forgoing, the past performance of our management team is not a guarantee of either: (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (ii) success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. No member of our management team has had management experience with any special purpose acquisition company in the past. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance as indicative of future performance.

 

For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the section entitled “Management.”

 

Business Strategy

 

We currently intend to concentrate our efforts in identifying businesses in the FinTech industry with an equity value of approximately $500 million to $1.0 billion, with particular emphasis on businesses that provide digital, on-line, or mobile payment solutions, processing and gateway services, point-of-sale technologies, consumer engagement platforms, and ecommerce and loyalty solutions. According to Pitchbook, global investment in financial technology by venture capital and private equity firms has grown rapidly in recent years, increasing from nearly $14.8 billion in 2011 to $89.2 billion in 2019. From 2011 to 2019, $530.1 billion was invested in FinTech by venture capital and private equity firms in over 23,000 deals. Also, the technical and economic situation resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is leading to further transformation in the FinTech industry. There has also been a massive secular shift in the payment industry to an integrated payment model which includes the enablement of payments within core business management software, simplifying payment acceptance, easing reconciliation, and enriching system data. These enterprises often offer consumer engagement platforms by which these firms engage their customers and market and provide related services to them.

 

Over the past several years, there has been a rise in the level of sophistication and interconnectivity between innovative technology and financial services providers, and we expect this trend to continue and accelerate. We believe that there are many potential targets within the FinTech space that could become attractive public companies. These potential targets exhibit a broad range of business models and financial characteristics that range from very high growth innovative companies to more mature businesses with established franchises, recurring revenues and strong cash flows.

 

There has been significant disruption and change in the delivery of financial services in recent years, including, among others:

 

  Retail banking (mobile payments, Neo-Banks);

  Payments processing for consumers and businesses, including unattended Point of Sale payment systems;

  Wealth management (robo advisors);

  Digital Marketing;

  Exchanges and trading platforms;

  Big data moving to the cloud, APIs, data security; and

  Digital assets and blockchain technology.

 

With increased adoption of technology solutions by both consumers and businesses, we believe that the sector is poised for continued growth in both overall market size and penetration. Key industry characteristics include long-term organic growth, attractive competitive dynamics and further consolidation opportunities. Key business characteristics include high barriers to entry, low risk of technological obsolescence and public market-ready scale. Key financial metrics include organic revenue growth, recurring revenues and strong cash flow conversion.

 

We do not intend to limit our search to one segment of the financial technologies ecosystem, but will instead target a wide variety of companies that deliver a solution or product to the financial technologies end-market. We believe that our management’s extensive experience and demonstrated success in operating and advising businesses in this industry provides us with a unique set of capabilities that will be utilized in generating stockholder returns.

 

We will seek to acquire established businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound but potentially in need of financial, operational, strategic or managerial improvements to maximize value. We will also look at earlier stage companies that exhibit the potential to change the industries in which they participate and which offer the potential of sustained high levels of revenue growth. Consistent with our industry focus, we intend to target financial services businesses that have strong management teams, demonstrated organic growth, and differentiated products or services. Opportunities range from high-growth, customer facing technologies in payments, lending and digital assets to more mature, high-margin, stable businesses which may be engaged in lending, asset management, or providing critical processing and support to established financial services firms.

 

4

 

 

We believe that the wide networks of our management team will deliver access to a broad spectrum of opportunities across the financial technologies landscape. 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, law firms, accounting firms, and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.

 

Upon completion of this offering, the members of our management team will communicate with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target company and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.

 

Acquisition / Investment Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria. We expect that no individual criterion will entirely determine a decision to pursue a particular opportunity. We intend to seek a business combination with a business that we believe:

  Is fundamentally sound and can unlock and enhance stockholder value through a combination with us, thereby offering attractive risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders;
  Is at an inflection point, such as requiring additional management expertise, and able to accelerate growth and financial performance through differentiated business models and the addition of our operational, financial, transactional and legal expertise and networks;
  Is in need of a flexible, creative or opportunistic structure where we can deliver additional value;
  Has a strong, experienced management team, or provides a platform to assemble an effective management team with a track record of driving growth and profitability;
  Can benefit from being a publicly traded company, with access to broader capital markets, to achieve the business’ growth strategy;
  Is poised to grow both organically through the application of technology, as well as inorganically, through bolt-on or transformational acquisitions;
  Has a leading or niche market position and demonstrates advantages when compared to competitors, which may help to create barriers to entry against new competitors; and
  Exhibits unrecognized value or other characteristics that we believe can be enhanced based on our analysis and due diligence review.

 

We anticipate offering the following benefits to our business combination partner:

  Partnership with our management team members who have extensive and proven experience in operating, leading, advising and investing in market-leading financial services and FinTech companies;
  Access to our deep and broad networks, insights and operational, financial, transactional, and legal and regulatory expertise;
  Increased company profile and improved credibility with investors, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders;
  Higher level of engagement with core, relevant, fundamental investors as anchor stockholders than what a traditional IPO book-building process offers;
  Lower risk and expedited path to a public listing with flexible structuring;
  Infusion of cash and ongoing access to public capital markets;
  Listed public currency for future acquisitions and growth;
  Ability for management team to retain control and focus on growing the business; and
  Opportunity to motivate and retain employees using stock-based compensation.

 

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria as well as other considerations and factors that our management team and advisors may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our 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.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may or may not be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant.

 

5

 

Effecting a Business Combination

 

We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of our proposed business combination or 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. If we decide to allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. We have no specified maximum percentage threshold for redemptions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and even those public stockholders who vote in favor of our initial business combination have the right to redeem their public shares. As a result, this may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination.

 

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination for three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extension to our stockholders for approval or offering our public stockholders redemption rights in connection therewith.  Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon ten days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $1,500,000, or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, or $0.10 per share. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan made no later than three business days prior to the 15-month anniversary of this offering. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination (including loans made to extend our time period for consummating a business combination) may be convertible into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender.

 

If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within the allocated time period, we will redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, 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 tax obligations, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.00 per share of common stock (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders.

 

Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Although our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able independently to 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

 

We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or a newly formed subsidiary or where we acquire 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, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could 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 equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test.

 

6

 

Potential Conflicts

 

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own shares of our common stock, or other instruments, such as warrants, linked to our common stock, following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

 

Our officers and directors have agreed, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he or she ceases to be an officer or director, to present to us all suitable business combination opportunities that may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that might be attractive to any entity to which he has fiduciary or contractual obligations, he may be required to present such initial business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such initial business combination opportunity to us. For more information on the relevant pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our management team, see the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

 

JOBS Act

 

We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (which we refer to herein as the JOBS Act) and will remain such for up to five years. However, if our annual gross revenue is $1.07 billion or more, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period exceeds $1 billion or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we have elected, under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act, to take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards.

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.

 

Private Placements

 

On February 8, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 4,312,500 shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.006 per share, to our sponsor. On June 16, 2021, our sponsor purchased an additional 700,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share. On June 16, 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Herbert and Lurio and 35,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Khan, Decker and White. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor purchased an additional 1,200,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,007,500 shares of common stock, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as the “founder shares”. The founder shares include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 shares subject to forfeiture by our sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our initial stockholders will continue to own 28% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming the initial stockholders and the anchor investors do not purchase units in this offering).

 

On February 8, 2021, we also issued 162,500 shares of common stock to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“EBC shares”) and 87,500 shares of common stock to Northland Securities, Inc. (“Northland” or the “representative”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25.00, or $.0001 per share. On May 29, 2021, Northland returned the 87,500 shares of common stock to us, for no consideration, which were subsequently cancelled.

 

In addition, our sponsor has agreed that it will purchase from us an aggregate of 459,500 private shares at a price of $10.00 per private share, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,500 in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The proceeds from the sale of the private shares will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee. If we do not complete an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), the proceeds from the sale of the private shares will be included in the liquidating distribution to our public stockholders and the private shares will be worthless.

 

Our executive offices are located at 2005 Market Street, Suite 3120, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and our telephone number is (215) 543-6886.

 

 

7

 

The Offering

 

Securities offered  

15,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:

 

•             one share of common stock; and

 

•             one-half of one redeemable warrant.

     
Nasdaq symbols   Our units have been approved for listing on Nasdaq under the symbol “AACIU”, and our common stock and warrants, once they begin separate trading, will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “AACI” and “AACIW,” respectively.
     
Trading commencement and separation of common stock and warrants   The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless the representative informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading will begin.
     
    Once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
     
    In no event will the 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, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. We will also include the Form 8-K, or amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if the representative allowed separate trading of the common stock and warrants prior to the 90th day after the date of this prospectus.

   

Units:    
     
Number outstanding before this offering and private placement   0 units
     
     
Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement   15,000,000 units
     
Common stock:    
     
Number outstanding before this offering and private placement   6,375,000 shares(1)
     
     
Number to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement   20,709,500 shares(2)

  

  (1) Represents 6,212,500 founder shares and 162,500 EBC shares. The 6,212,500 founder shares include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full.

 

  (2) Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 1,125,000 founder shares have been forfeited.

 

 

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Warrants:    
     
Number outstanding before this offering and private placement   0 warrants
     
Number to be outstanding after this offering and private placement   7,500,000 warrants
     
Exercisability   Each whole warrant is exercisable for one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of an initial business combination. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption. We structured each unit to contain one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of 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 an initial business combination, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive initial 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 of common stock 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 of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance), (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 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 the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities.

 

   

No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. We have registered the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, we have agreed that we will use our best efforts to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement or a new registration statement with the SEC as soon as practicable after the business combination and have an effective registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within 90 days following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

 

 

9

 

 

Redemption   We may redeem the outstanding warrants  in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant at any time after the warrants become exercisable, upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, if, and only if, the last sales price of our shares of common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption; and if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.
     
    If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the shares of common stock may fall below the $18.00 trigger price as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
     
    If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the five 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.

 

Founder shares  

On February 8, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or $.006 per share. On June 16, 2021, our sponsor purchased an additional 700,000 shares at a purchase price of $0.006 per share. On June 16, 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Herbert and Lurio and 35,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Khan, Decker and White. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor purchased an additional 1,200,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,007,500 shares of common stock. The founder shares held by our sponsor include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full or in part. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 28% of the outstanding shares after this offering. This is different from most other offerings similar to ours where the founder shares represent less than 28% of all the issued and outstanding shares after the initial public offering. As such, our initial stockholders will collectively own 28% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Our sponsor will be required to forfeit only a number of shares of founder shares necessary for our initial stockholders to continue to maintain the 28.0% ownership interest in our shares of common stock after giving effect to the offering and exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option (assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase units in this offering). 

 

Subject to each anchor investor purchasing 100% of the units allocated to it, in connection with the closing of this offering our sponsor will sell membership interests reflecting an allocation of 131,250 founder shares to each anchor investor, or an aggregate of 1,312,500 founder shares to all 10 anchor investors, at a purchase price of $0.006 per share.

 

The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering. However, our sponsor and officers and directors have agreed (A) to vote any founder shares, private shares or public shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to redeem any founder shares or private shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and (C) that the founder shares and private shares will not participate in any liquidating distributions from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated within the prescribed time period.

 

 

10

 

 

   

If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, 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 initial business combination. As a result, in addition to founder shares and private shares (assuming all of these shares are voted in favor of the transaction, the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and that none of the sponsor and our officers or directors purchase any public shares in the offering or the aftermarket), we would need 5,547,000 of our public shares (or approximately 32.1% of our public shares) to be voted in favor of the transaction in order to have such transaction approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or we would not need any public shares to be voted in favor of the transaction (assuming shares representing only a quorum are voted). In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private shares will likely be worthless. Further, as discussed below, if the anchor investors purchase units in this offering and vote the public shares for the proposed business combination, we may not need any public shares to be voted in favor of a proposed business combination to have such transaction approved.

     
Restrictions on transfer of founder shares   Our sponsor,  officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earliest of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their public shares for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private shares”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.

 

Expressions of Interest  

Up to 10 qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor (other than becoming members as described below) or any other anchor investor), have each expressed an interest to purchase up to 9.9% of the units sold in this offering (excluding any units sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), or 1,485,000 units. We do not expect that all of the anchor investors will be allocated the full 9.9% of the units to be sold, and such allocations will be determined by the underwriters. There is also no guarantee that all anchor investors will participate in the offering. Subject to each anchor investor purchasing 100% of the units allocated to it, in connection with the closing of this offering our sponsor will sell membership interests reflecting an allocation of 131,250 founder shares to each anchor investor, or an aggregate of 1,312,500 founder shares to all 10 anchor investors, at a purchase price of $0.006 per share. The obligation of our sponsor to sell such membership interests to each anchor investor is conditioned upon each such anchor investor purchasing all of the units in this offering, if any, it may be offered by the underwriters (which shall not exceed 9.9% of the units in this offering). However, the anchor investors’ interest in the allocated founder shares will not be reduced if the underwriters allocate the anchor investors less than 9.9% of the units sold in this offering (excluding any units sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). Further, the founder shares to be indirectly owned by the anchor investors will not be subject to forfeiture, transfer, exchange, clawback or ear-outs for any reason, including as a part of negotiating a business combination. The negotiations between our sponsor and each anchor investor were separate and there are no arrangements or understandings among the anchor investors with regard to voting, including voting with respect to our initial business combination.

 

11

 

   

Unlike some anchor investor arrangements of other blank check companies, the anchor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, shares of common stock or warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any shares of common stock they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination.

 

There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. In the event that the anchor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after), continue to own units or shares at the time of the stockholder vote, and vote in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination.

 

 

Private shares   Our sponsor has agreed that it will purchase from us an aggregate of 459,500 private shares at a price of $10.00 per private share, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,000 in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private shares are identical to the shares sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus.  There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the private shares, which will become worthless if we do not consummate a business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus).  

 

Transfer restrictions on private shares   The private shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable until the consummation of our initial business combination except to permitted transferees.  
     
EBC shares  

On February 8, 2021, we issued 162,500 shares of common stock to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“EBC”) for an aggregate purchase price of $16.25, or $.0001 per share, in connection with our engagement of EBC to act as a representative of the underwriters for this offering. The parties terminated the engagement in June 2021.

 

EBC has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any EBC shares held by it until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination unless to permitted transferees.

 

 

12

 

 

   

EBC has also agreed not to redeem any EBC shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and that the EBC shares will not participate in any liquidating distributions from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated within the prescribed time period.

 

Holders of EBC shares are also entitled to certain registration rights.

 

Offering proceeds to be held in trust   An aggregate of $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering (regardless of whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee, pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. The trustee will deposit the proceeds in a brokerage account located in the United States at Goldman Sachs. The proceeds will be invested at the direction of the trustee. Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination and our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. Therefore, except as set forth below, unless and until an initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business.

 

Ability to extend time to complete business combination  

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination for three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extension to our stockholders for approval or offering our public stockholders redemption rights in connection therewith. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon ten days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $1,500,000, or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, or $0.10 per share. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan made no later than three business days prior to the 15-month anniversary of this offering. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.

 

 

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    Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us from the trust account any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we need to pay our income or other tax obligations. With this exception, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares not held in the trust account (initially estimated to be $1,095,000). Additionally, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering if the funds available to us are insufficient, our sponsor, officers, directors,  or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be non-interest bearing and be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share. These shares would be identical to the private  shares . In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.
     
Engagement of Advisor  

We engaged Cohen & Company Capital Markets, a division of J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC (“CCM”), an affiliate of a member of our sponsor, to provide consulting and advisory services in connection with this offering, for which it will receive an advisory fee equal to 1% of the aggregate proceeds of this offering. Affiliates of CCM have and manage investment vehicles with a passive investment in the sponsor. CCM agreed to defer the portion of its fee resulting from exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option until the consummation of our initial business combination. We will also engage CCM as an advisor in connection with our initial business combination for which it will earn an advisory fee of 2.25% of the proceeds of this offering payable at closing of our initial business combination.

 

CCM is engaged to represent our interests only and is not participating in this offering as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(16); it is acting as an independent financial adviser as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(9). As such, CCM is not acting as an underwriter in connection with this offering, it will not identify or solicit potential investors in this offering or otherwise be involved in the distribution of this offering.

 

Limited payments to insiders   There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our sponsor, officers, directors,  or their affiliates for any services they render prior to, or in order to effectuate the consummation of, an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the payments to CCM as described above and the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
     
    repayment at the closing of this offering of an aggregate of up to $300,000 of non-interest-bearing loans made by our sponsor;

 

    payment of a $10,000 per month administrative fee to our sponsor, for office space and related services;
     
   

payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the business combination; and

     
    reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible target businesses and business combinations.
     
    There is no limit on the amount of consulting, success or finder fees payable by us upon consummation of an initial business combination. Additionally, there is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors, or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

 

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Stockholder approval of, or tender offer in connection with, initial business combination   In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. 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. If we determine to allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares and we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. We have no specified maximum percentage threshold for redemptions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and even those public stockholders who vote in favor of our initial business combination have the right to redeem their public shares. As a result, this may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination.

  

    We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets immediately prior to or upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.
     
    Our sponsor, officers and directors and their affiliates have agreed (i) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (ii) not to redeem any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (iii) not to sell any shares to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination.

 

 

 

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    None of our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares of common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a proposed business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence any vote held to approve a proposed initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to prevent potential manipulation of a company’s stock.
     
Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination   In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we redeem his shares into a pro rata share of the trust account.
     
    We may require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) physically tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. There is a nominal cost associated with this 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 amount and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder.

 

Liquidation if no business combination   If we are unable to complete an initial business combination by 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us (net of taxes payable), 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 liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we are required to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. The agreement entered into by our sponsor specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so.

 

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    The initial stockholders and holders of the private shares will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to such shares.
     
    If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares not deposited in the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be approximately $10.00 (which is equal to the anticipated aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account excluding interest earned on the funds held in the trust account). The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of our stockholders. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case 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. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption price will not be less than approximately $10.00.
     
    We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $100,000) and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.
     
    Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to redeem or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon the 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 not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor,   officers, directors or any other person.

 

Risks

 

In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account the special risks we face as a blank check company, as well as the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act, and, therefore, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison to offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 of this prospectus. 

 

 

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Summary of Risk Factors

 

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section title “Risk Factors,” that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect our ability to effect a business combination, and may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

 

  newly formed company without an operating history;

 

  lack of opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination;

 

  lack of protections afforded to investors of blank check companies;

 

  deviation from acquisition criteria;

 

  issuance of equity and/or debt securities to complete a business combination;

 

  lack of working capital;

 

  third-party claims reducing the per-share redemption price;

 

  negative interest rate for securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account;

 

  our stockholders being held liable for claims by third parties against us;

 

  failure to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations;

 

  the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company;

 

  dependence on key personnel;

 

  conflicts of interest of our sponsor, officers and directors;

 

  the delisting of our securities by Nasdaq;

 

  shares being redeemed and warrants becoming worthless;

 

  our competitors with advantages over us in seeking business combinations;

 

  ability to obtain additional financing;

 

  our initial stockholders controlling a substantial interest in us;

 

  warrants adverse effect on the market price of our common stock;

 

  disadvantageous timing for redeeming warrants;

 

  registration rights’ adverse effect on the market price of our common stock;

 

  impact of COVID-19 and related risks;

 

  changes in laws or regulations; tax consequences to business combinations; and

 

  exclusive forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

 

 

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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

 

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

 

    March 31, 2021  
    Actual     As Adjusted  
Balance Sheet Data:                
Cash held in Trust             150,000,000  
Working capital (deficiency)(1)   $ (45,929)   $  1,117,577  
Total assets(1)   $  135,313     $  151,117,577  
Total liabilities   $  112,752     $  -  
Value of common stock subject to possible redemption/tender(2)   $  -     $  146,117,570  
Stockholders’ equity(3)   $  22,561     $  5,000,007  

 

 

  (1) The “as adjusted” calculation includes the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, plus $16 proceeds from the EBC shares, plus $1,095,000 of cash held outside the trust account, plus $22,561 of actual stockholders’ equity at March 31, 2021.

 

  (2) The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” stockholders’ equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001.

 

  (3) Excludes 675,000 shares of common stock which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The actual number of shares that may be redeemed may exceed this amount provided that we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of the business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of shares of common stock that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share).

 

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering and the sale of the private shares, including the payment of the estimated costs of the offering from such sales and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.

 

The “as adjusted” working capital and total assets amounts include the $150,000,000 to be held in the trust account, which, except for limited situations described in this prospectus, will be available to us only upon the consummation of a business combination within the time period described in this prospectus. If a business combination is not so consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw from interest earned on the funds in the trust account as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public stockholders (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors).

 

We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

 

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below, which we believe represent the material risks related to the offering, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below.

 

Risks Relating to our Search For, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks

 

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait more than 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) before receiving distributions from the trust account.

 

We have 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) in which to complete a business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate a business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of this full time period will public security holders be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination.

 

We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus. Accordingly, it is possible that we will consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. 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. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.

 

 

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If we determine to change our acquisition criteria or guidelines, many of the disclosures contained in this prospectus would not be applicable and you would be investing in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.

 

We could seek to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines disclosed in this prospectus although we have no current intention to do so. Accordingly, investors may be making an investment in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire. Regardless of whether or not we deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines in connection with any proposed business combination, investors will always be given the opportunity to redeem their shares or sell them to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination as described in this prospectus.

 

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares not being held in trust are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), we may be unable to complete a business combination.

 

Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, only approximately $1,095,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, such funds will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Accordingly, if we use all of the funds held outside of the trust account and all interest available to us, we may not have sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or close an initial business combination. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, officers or directors or their affiliates to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our sponsor, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount that they deem reasonable in their sole discretion for our working capital needs. Each loan would be non-interest bearing and be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share.

 

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

 

If:

 

  we issue additional shares of common stock 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 of common stock,

 

  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,

 

then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target business with which to complete a business combination, we are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry or business in which we may ultimately operate.

 

We may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business industry or sector we choose. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately acquire. To the extent we complete a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. If we complete a business combination with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of that industry. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular industry or target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.

 

 

21

 

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.

 

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our officers is required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, our officers will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.

 

The role of our key personnel after a business combination, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a 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 public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

 

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

 

We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

 

Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination.

 

Our officers and directors will not commit their full time to our affairs. We presently expect each of our officers and directors to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The foregoing could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination.

 

The representative may have a conflict of interest in rendering services to us in connection with our initial business combination.

 

We will engage the representative to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay the representative a cash fee for such services in an aggregate amount equal to up to 2.25% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering only if we consummate our initial business combination. We will also pay the representative a separate capital market advisory fee of $2,500,000 upon completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, we will pay the representative a cash fee equal to 1.0% of the total consideration payable in the proposed business combination if the representative introduces us to the target business with which we complete a business combination. These financial interests may result in the representative having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with an initial business combination.

 

 

22

 

 

We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.

 

It is likely we will consummate a business combination with a single target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously acquire several target businesses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

 

  solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, or

 

  dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

 

This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination.

 

Alternatively, if we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses 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 the 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.

 

The ability of our stockholders to exercise their redemption rights or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

 

If our business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many stockholders may exercise redemption rights or seek to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such redemption, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.

 

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of a proposed business combination and still seek redemption of his, her or its shares.

 

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our sponsor, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of common stock redeemed to cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all. The ability to seek redemption while voting in favor of our proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a business combination.

 

We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it easier for us to consummate a business combination even where a substantial number of public stockholders seek to redeem their shares to cash in connection with the vote on the business combination.

 

We have no specified percentage threshold for redemption in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. As a result, we may be able to consummate a business combination even though a substantial number of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares. However, in no event will we consummate an initial business combination unless we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.

 

 

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In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

 

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we redeem his shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their redemption rights and thus may be unable to redeem their shares.

 

If, in connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to comply with specific requirements for redemption, such redeeming stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

 

If we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to comply with specific requirements for redemption and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.

 

Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses 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, seeking stockholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination may delay the consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination.

 

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As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.

 

In recent years and specifically in the last six months, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.

 

In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.

 

Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.

 

In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. The premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.

 

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.

 

In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity would likely purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.

 

We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.

 

In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.

 

We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.

 

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares will be sufficient to allow us to consummate a business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business, we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of the business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, or the obligation to redeem into cash a significant number of shares from dissenting stockholders, we will be required to seek additional financing. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional 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 sponsor, officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after a business combination.

 

 

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Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus surfaced in Wuhan, China and has spread throughout the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak 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 an initial business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete an initial 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 an initial business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. While vaccines for COVID-19 are being, and have been, developed, there is no guarantee that any such vaccine will be durable and effective consistent with current expectations and we expect that it will take significant time before the vaccines are available and accepted on a significant scale globally. 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 an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected. Finally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risks Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.

 

In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (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.

 

The determination for the offering price of our units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry.

 

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 representative. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the units, including the shares of common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

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

 

  prior offerings of those companies;

 

  our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;

 

  our capital structure;

 

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

 

  general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering.

 

However, although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results to compare them to.

 

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If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

 

We must conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a particular target business, and factors outside the control of the target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business, industry or the environment in which the target business operates, 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 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 common stock. 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.

 

The requirement that we complete an initial business combination within the prescribed period of time may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination.

 

We have 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.

 

We may extend our time period to consummate our initial business combination for an additional three months and accordingly have a total of 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate a business combination without submitting such proposed extension to our stockholders for approval or offering our public stockholders redemption rights in connection therewith.

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extension to our stockholders for approval or offering our public stockholders redemption rights in connection therewith. Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and subject to deposit of additional funds by our sponsor or its affiliates or designees into our trust account as set forth thereunder, we may effectuate such extension without submitting such proposed extension to our stockholders for approval or offering our public stockholders redemption rights in connection with the proposed extension.  

 

We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

 

We will only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

 

Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

 

It is anticipated 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 a decision is made not to complete a specific business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the 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 effect a business combination with a company located in a foreign jurisdiction, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

 

If we consummate a business combination with a target business in a foreign country, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:

 

  rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

 

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  tariffs and trade barriers;

 

  regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

  longer payment cycles;

 

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

 

  currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

  challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

  cultural and language differences;

 

  employment regulations;

 

  crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and

 

  deterioration of political relations with the United States.

 

We cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

 

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

 

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under federal securities laws.

 

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we will not be able to complete a business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards.

 

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. 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, 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. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. Additionally, to the extent we furnish our stockholders with financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, such financial statements will need to be audited in accordance with U.S. GAAP at the time of the consummation of the business combination. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.

 

 

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Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team

 

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

 

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team or their affiliates, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience of and performance by our management team or their affiliates is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.

 

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

 

Our key personnel will be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements 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 the company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

 

Our directors may decide not to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations, 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 $10.00 per public share 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 such indemnification obligations. It is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Additionally, each of our independent directors is a member of our sponsor. As a result, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations. 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.

 

Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.

 

Our sponsor has waived its right to redeem its founder shares or any other shares purchased in this offering or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to its founder shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination. Accordingly, the shares acquired prior to this offering, as well as any private shares purchased by our officers or directors, will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination and in determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

 

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations and may in the future become affiliated with other entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

 

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations to other companies. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with our consummation of our initial business combination. As a result, a potential target business may be presented by our management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in a transaction with such target business. Additionally, our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including another blank check company that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Delaware law. For a more detailed description of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, see the sections titled “Management — Directors and Executive Officers” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

 

 

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Our initial stockholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote, in particular because our initial shareholders will own a higher interest in us than most other similarly structured blank check companies.

 

Upon consummation of this offering, our initial stockholders will own approximately 28% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they and the anchor investors do not purchase any units in this offering and the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). This is different from most other offerings similar to ours where the founder shares represent less than 28% of all the issued and outstanding shares after the initial public offering, which may allow our initial stockholders to exert more control over us as more fully discussed below.

 

Other than the anchor investors, none of our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares of common stock in the open market or in private transactions. However, our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of stockholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our sponsor, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately before this offering as well as any shares of common stock acquired by them in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination. As a result, in addition to founder shares and private shares (assuming all of these shares are voted in favor of the transaction, the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and that none of the sponsor and our officers or directors purchase any public shares in the offering or the aftermarket), we would need 5,547,000 of our public shares (or approximately 32.1% of our public shares) to be voted in favor of the transaction in order to have such transaction approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or we would not need any public shares to be voted in favor of the transaction (assuming shares representing only a quorum are voted) and the over-allotment option is not exercised, and that the sponsor and our officers or directors do not purchase any public shares in the offering or the aftermarket). In addition, in the event that our anchor investors purchase all of the units that they have collectively expressed an interest in purchasing in this offering and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination.

 

Our board of directors 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. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under applicable corporate law for up to 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a 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 sponsor, 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 consummation of a business combination.

 

Risks Relating to Our Securities

 

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. 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.

 

Our initial stockholders paid a nominal price for the founder shares and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our shares of common stock.

 

The difference between the public offering price per share and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to the investors in this offering. Our initial stockholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon consummation of this offering, you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 9.07% or $9.07 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share $0.93, and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit). This is because investors in this offering will be contributing approximately 97.01% of the total amount paid to us for our outstanding securities after this offering but will only own approximately 75.15% of our outstanding securities and this becomes exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek to redeem their shares into a pro rata share of the trust proceeds. Accordingly, the per-share purchase price you will be paying substantially exceeds our per share net tangible book value.

 

 

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The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $36,400 for the founder shares, or approximately $.006 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $140,750,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $3,375,000 of advisory fees to CCM and $3,375,000 of business marketing advisory fees to Northland and $2,500,000 of capital markets advisory fees to Northland in connection with the business combination, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, as well as the value of our public warrants. At such valuation, each of our shares of common stock would have an implied value of $9.38 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 6.17% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00 (the price per unit in this offering, assuming no value to the public warrants).

 

         
Public shares     15,000,000  
Private shares   459,500  
Founder shares     5,087,500  
EBC shares   162,500
Total shares     20,709,500  
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination (less deferred underwriting commissions)   $ 140,750,000  
Initial implied value per public share   $ 10.00  
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination   $ 9.38  

 

The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.

 

Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $4,631,400, comprised of the $36,400 purchase price for the founder shares and the $4,595,000 purchase price for the private shares. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 5,087,500 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $50,875,000. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as $0.91 per share, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public shareholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public shareholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team's financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.

 

Our anchor investors have provided indications of interest to purchase up to 99% of the units sold in this offering. Depending on how many units are purchased by the anchor investors, the trading volume, volatility and liquidity for our shares could be reduced, the trading price of our shares could be adversely affected and other investors could be prevented from influencing significant corporate decisions.

Our anchor investors have expressed to us an interest to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 99% of the units in this offering (excluding any units sold pursuant to the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) at the offering price, and we expect that the underwriters will offer the anchor investors the opportunity to purchase all of those units. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, each of the anchor investors may determine to purchase fewer or no units in this offering or the underwriters may determine to sell fewer or no units to the anchor investors. In the event that our units are concentrated in a limited number of anchor investors, we may not be able to meet the public distribution requirement, among others, of the Nasdaq continued listing standards. In addition, depending on how many units are purchased by the anchor investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. As a result, we may not be able to meet Nasdaq’s continued listing standards. See “ – Nasdaq may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.”

If the anchor investors all elect to purchase the full amount of our units described herein and so long as they hold a substantial portion of the units purchased, our sponsor and the anchor investors would collectively have substantial control over us and be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval (although we have no knowledge of any affiliation or other agreement or arrangement, as to voting of our securities or otherwise, among any such persons). For example, in the event that the anchor investors purchase the full amount of units described herein, continue to hold the shares included in the units and vote such shares in favor of our initial business combination, we would not need any additional public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination to have our initial business combination approved. Moreover, although the anchor investors are not contractually obligated to vote in favor of our business combination, their interest in our founder shares may provide an incentive for them to do so. This potential concentration of influence could be disadvantageous to other public stockholders, who may have interests that are different from those of our sponsor and the anchor investors. In addition, this potential significant concentration of stock ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies with concentrated ownership, and might make it more difficult to complete a business combination with targets that would prefer to enter into a transaction with a SPAC with less concentrated ownership.

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Since our anchor investors will acquire an interest in founder shares from our sponsor in connection with the closing of this offering, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.

We have agreed with the anchor investors that, if they purchase the units for which they have provided indications of interest, they will be entitled to purchase directly from our sponsor membership interests reflecting the allocation of certain founder shares to them, and will be required to pay only a nominal amount for those membership interests. Accordingly, the anchor investors will share in any appreciation in the value of the founder shares above that nominal amount, provided that we successfully complete a business combination. Moreover, assuming that the anchor investors acquire all of the units in this offering for which they have expressed an interest for a purchase price of $10.00 per unit and acquire an interest in all of the 1,312,500 founder shares that they are expected to agree to purchase for a price of $0.006 per share, and assuming each warrant has no value and without taking into account any liquidity discount on the founder shares, the anchor investors will be paying an effective price of $9.19 per share of common stock acquired, as compared to the $10.00 per share to be paid by the other public stockholders in this offering. As a result, the anchor investors may have an incentive to vote any public shares they own in favor of a business combination, and, if a business combination is approved, they may make a substantial profit on such interest, even if the market price of our public securities declines in value below the price to the public in this offering and the business combination is not profitable for other public stockholders. In addition, as discussed above, if the anchor investors retain a substantial portion of their interests in our public shares and if the anchor investors vote those public shares in favor of a business combination, we will receive sufficient votes to approve the business combination, regardless of how any other public stockholder votes their shares. You should consider the anchor investors’ financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to invest in this offering and/or redeem your shares prior to or in connection with an initial business combination.

 

Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

 

We will be issuing warrants to purchase up to 7,500,000 shares of common stock (or up to 8,625,000 shares of common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by the prospectus. To the extent we issue shares of common stock to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.

 

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 the common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time we redeem the warrants, we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.

 

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You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying common stock or certain exemptions are available.

If the issuance of the shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants 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 common stock included in the units.

We have registered the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our internal business combination under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC as soon as practicable after the business combination a post-effective amendment to our registration statement or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 90 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in our registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.

If the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.

In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.

In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws.

 

Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.

 

If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of shares of common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.

 

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If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

 

The holders of the founder shares are entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the founder shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the holders of the private shares and any shares of common stock our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the private shares and any other shares of common stock we issue to them commencing at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. The presence of these additional securities trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of common stock.

 

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

 

Our securities have been approved for listing on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, upon consummation of this offering. Although, after giving effect to this offering, we expect to meet on a pro forma basis Nasdaq’s minimum initial listing standards, which generally only requires that we meet certain requirements relating to stockholders’ equity, market capitalization, aggregate market value of publicly held shares and distribution requirements, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future prior to an initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, it is likely that Nasdaq will require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. Nasdaq will also have discretionary authority to not approve our listing if Nasdaq determines that the listing of the company to be acquired is against public policy at that time.

 

If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, or we are not listed in connection with our initial business combination, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

  a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

  reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;

 

  a determination that our shares of common stock are “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our shares of common stock to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our shares of common stock;

 

  a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and

 

  a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units and eventually our common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, common stock and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

 

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

 

Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares are intended to be used to complete a business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and the sale of the private shares and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules which would, for example, completely restrict the transferability of our securities, require us to complete a business combination within 18 months of the effective date of the initial registration statement and restrict the use of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account. Because we are not subject to Rule 419, our units will be immediately tradable and we will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the trust account prior to the completion of a business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison to offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419.”

 

 

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There may be tax consequences to our business combinations that may adversely affect us.

 

While we expect to undertake any merger or acquisition so as to minimize taxes both to the acquired business and/or asset and us, such business combination might not meet the statutory requirements of a tax-free reorganization, or the parties might not obtain the intended tax-free treatment upon a transfer of shares or assets. A non-qualifying reorganization could result in the imposition of substantial taxes.

 

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain 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 common stock and the one-half of one warrant to purchase common stock included in each unit could be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or the courts. In addition, if we are determined to be a personal holding company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our taxable income would be subject to an additional 20% federal income tax, which would reduce the net after-tax amount of interest income earned on the funds placed in our trust account. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant included in the units is unclear under current law. 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 dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” below for a summary of the principal United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

 

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”

 

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of shares of common stock that holders will receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless.

 

An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of shares of common stock upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.

 

No warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless the shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.

 

 

 

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We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants.

 

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

 

Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.

 

Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement.

 

If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

 

This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.

 

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

 

Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with 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, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public stockholders. If we are unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public stockholders, our sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described elsewhere in this prospectus) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. As a result, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.00, plus interest, due to such claims.

 

 

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Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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 may not be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.00.

 

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

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will continue in existence only 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering. If we have not completed a business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, 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 liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. 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 well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.

 

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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 all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public 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.

 

We may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering and the purchase of the private shares (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), there will be 71,790,500 authorized but unissued shares of common stock available for issuance after appropriate reservation for the issuance of the shares underlying the public warrants). Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Although we have no commitment as of the date of this offering, we may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a combination of common stock and preferred stock, to complete a business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock will not reduce the per-share redemption amount in the trust account. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:

 

  may significantly reduce the equity interest of investors in this offering;

 

 

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  may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock;

 

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

 

  may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our shares of common stock.

 

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

 

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

 

  acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

 

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

 

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

 

If we incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the per-share redemption amount in the trust account.

 

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws 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 common stock and could entrench management.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors is 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. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interests of stockholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock. 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 more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar 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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

This choice of forum provision may 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, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder and may therefore bring a claim in another appropriate forum. 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 amended and restated 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.

 

 

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. 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.

 

General Risk Factors

 

We are a newly formed company with no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

 

We are a newly formed company with no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public offering of our securities. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to acquire an operating business. We have not conducted any substantive discussions and we have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective acquisition candidates. We will not generate any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a business combination.

 

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 March 31, 2021, we had cash of $62,610 and a working capital deficit of $45,929 (excluding deferred offering costs). Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of financing plans and our initial business combination. 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.

 

If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.

 

A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Since we will invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may be invested by the trustee only 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. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act.

 

If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business combination, including:

 

  restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

  restrictions on the issuance of securities.

 

In addition, we may have imposed upon us certain burdensome requirements, including:

 

  registration as an investment company;

 

  adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

  reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy, compliance policies and procedures and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

 

Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.

 

 

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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 shareholders may be less than approximately $10.00 per share.

 

The proceeds held in the trust account will be 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 do not to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of franchise and income tax (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of dissolution expenses). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than approximately $10.00 per share.

 

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.

 

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

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

 

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any March 31 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following September 30. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

 

 

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Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior March 31, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior March 31. 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.

 

Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require substantial financial and management resources and may increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls and may require that we have such system of internal controls audited beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending September 30, 2022. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties and/or stockholder litigation. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports could harm our business. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires that our independent registered public accounting firm report on management’s evaluation of our system of internal controls. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition. Furthermore, any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.

 

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

The statements contained in this prospectus that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’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 “anticipates,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

 

  our ability to complete our initial business combination;

 

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

 

  our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements and other benefits;

 

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

 

  our pool of prospective target businesses;

 

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

 

  potential changes in control of us if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock;

 

  our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

 

  the lack of a market for our securities;

 

  our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act;

 

  our use of proceeds not held in the trust account; or

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, in addition to the funds we will receive from the sale of the private shares, will be as set forth in the following table:

 

    Without
Over-Allotment
Option
    Over-Allotment
Option
Exercised
 
Gross proceeds                
From offering   $ 150,000,000     $ 172,500,000  
From private placement     4,595,000       4,595,000  
Total gross proceeds     154,595,000       177,095,000  
                 
Offering expenses(1)                
Underwriting discount (1.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred amount)(2)   $ 1,500,000     $ 1,500,000  
Advisory fee to CCM     1,500,000       1,500,000  
Legal fees and expenses     200,000       200,000  
Nasdaq listing fees (including deferred amount)     75,000       75,000  
Printing and engraving expenses     45,000       45,000  
Accounting fees and expenses     35,000       35,000  
FINRA filing fee     26,375       26,375  
SEC registration fee     29,642       29,642  
Miscellaneous expenses     88,983       88,983  
Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions)     2,000,000       2,000,000  
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses   $ 151,095,000     $ 173,095,000  
                 
Net proceeds                
Held in trust   $ 150,000,000     $ 172,500,000  
Not held in trust   $ 1,095,000     $ 1,095,000  
% of public offering size     100.0 %     100.0 %

  

    Amount     Percentage  
Use of net proceeds not held in trust(3)(4)                
Legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of a business combination   $ 140,000       12.8 %
Due diligence of prospective target businesses by officers, directors and sponsor     100,000       9.1 %
Legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations     120,000       11.0 %
Payment of administrative fee ($10,000 per month for 18 months)     180,000       16.4 %
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses, including D&O insurance     555,000       50.7 %
Total   $ 1,095,000       100.0 %

 

  (1) A portion of the offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have been paid from the loan we received from our sponsor described below. These funds will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares available to us.

 

  (2)

If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 1.0% of the gross proceeds from the over-allotment ($0.10 per unit or up to $225,000 in the aggregate) will be deposited in the trust account as deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred underwriting commissions will be released to the representative of the underwriters only upon completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. No discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to the purchase of the private shares.

 

  (3) The amount of proceeds not held in trust will remain constant at approximately $1,095,000 even if the over-allotment is exercised. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may be 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. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $150,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.1% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.

 

  (4) These 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 that business combination. 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 be deducted from our excess working capital.

 

 

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Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 459,500 private shares at a price of $10.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,000. The private shares will be sold in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. A portion of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account described below.

 

$150,000,000, or $172,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, New York, New York, as trustee. The trustee will deposit the proceeds in a brokerage account located in the United States at Goldman Sachs. The proceeds will be invested at the direction of the trustee. The funds held in trust will be held as cash items or invested only 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, so that we are not deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our income or other tax obligations as described in this prospectus, the proceeds will not be released from the trust account until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. The proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete a business combination. Any amounts not paid as consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to finance operations of the target business.

 

The payment to our sponsor of a monthly fee of $10,000 is for general and administrative services including office space, utilities and secretarial support. This arrangement is being agreed to by the affiliate of our executive officers for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors with compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that this fee is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. The monthly administrative fee will terminate upon completion of our initial business combination or the distribution of the trust account to our public stockholders. Other than the $10,000 per month fee administrative fee, the payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination and the repayment of the $300,000 loan from our sponsor, no compensation of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such entity and individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. There is no limit on the amount of consulting, success or finder fees payable by us upon consummation of an initial business combination. Additionally, there is no limit on the amount of such expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Since the role of present management after a business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after a business combination.

 

Regardless of whether the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the net proceeds from this offering available to us out of trust for our working capital requirements in searching for a business combination will be approximately $1,095,000. We intend to use the proceeds for miscellaneous expenses such as paying for director and officer liability insurance premiums, for due diligence, legal, accounting and other expenses of structuring and negotiating business combinations, as well as for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our sponsor, officers and directors in connection with activities on our behalf as described above. The allocation of the net proceeds available to us outside of the trust account represents our best estimate of the intended uses of these funds. In the event that our assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we may reallocate some of such proceeds within the above described categories.

 

 

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We may use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to the representative upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination, as described under the section titled “Underwriting — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the proceeds held in the trust account which are not used to consummate a business combination will be disbursed to the combined company and will, along with any other net proceeds not expended, be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products.

 

Pursuant to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination). In order to effectuate such extension, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon ten days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $1,500,000, or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, or $0.10 per share. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan made no later than three business days prior to the 15-month anniversary of this offering. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.

 

To the extent we are unable to consummate a business combination, we will pay the costs of liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than $100,000) and has agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses.

 

As of March 31, 2021, our sponsor has loaned us $107,352 under the $300,000 promissory note to be used to pay a portion of the expenses of this offering referenced in the line items above for SEC registration fee, FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees. The loan is due on the earlier of October 31, 2021 or the consummation of this offering. The loan will be payable without interest. The loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares available to us for payment of offering expenses.

 

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the approximate $1,095,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for the next 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. However, if necessary, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be non-interest bearing and be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share. The shares would be identical to the private shares. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

 

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account (including interest earned on his, her or its portion of the trust account to the extent not previously released to us) only in the event of (i) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period, (ii) if that public stockholders redeem such shares, or sell such shares to us in a tender offer, in connection with a business combination which we consummate or (iii) we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to redeem or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination)from the closing of this offering. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial stockholders, executive officers, directors or any other person. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

 

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 an 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 a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board of directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

 

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DILUTION

 

The difference between the public offering price per share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and the private shares, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants. 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 shares of common stock which may be redeemed for cash or sold in a tender offer), by the number of outstanding shares of common stock.

 

At March 31, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $(45,929), or approximately $(0.01) per share of common stock. After giving effect to (1) the sale of 15,000,000 shares of common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, (2) purchase of additional 1,900,000 shares of common stock by our sponsor and (3) cancellation of 87,500 shares of common stock from Northland; our pro forma net tangible book value at March 31, 2021 would have been $5,000,007 or $0.82 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 14,612,897 shares of common stock that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $0.83 per share to our sponsor and an immediate dilution of $9.18 per share or 91.8% to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. The decrease attributable to public shares subject to redemption is included in the calculation below at $10.00 per share, as all public stockholders have the right to redeem. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.17 per share or 91.7%.

 

The following table illustrates the dilution to the new investors on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units:

 

    No exercise of
over-allotment option
    Exercise of
over-allotment option
 
Public offering price           $ 10.00         $ 10.00  
Net tangible book value before this offering(1)    (0.01 )             (0.01 )      
Increase attributable to public stockholders and private sales   0.83               0.70        
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering   0.82               0.69        
Dilution to public stockholders           $ 9.18         $ 9.31  
Percentage of dilution to public stockholders             91.8 %         93.1 %
                                               

   

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

 

   Shares  Total Consideration  Average Price
Number  Purchased  Percentage  Amount  Percentage  per Share
Founder shares(1)   5,087,500    24.57%  $36,400    0.02%  $0.007 
EBC shares   162,500    0.78%  $17    0.00%  $0.000 
Public shares   15,000,000    72.43%  $150,000,000    97.01%  $10.000 
Private shares   459,500    2.22%  $4,595,000    2.97%  $10.000 
Total   20,709,500    100.0%  $154,620,017    100.0%     

  

(1)   Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 1,125,000 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

 

 

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The pro forma net tangible book value after the offering is calculated as follows:

 

Numerator:(1) 

WITHOUT

OVER-
ALLOTMENT

 

WITH

OVER-
ALLOTMENT

Net tangible book deficit before this offering  $(45,929)  $(45,929)
Net proceeds from this offering and private placement   151,095,000    173,595,000 
Proceeds from EBC shares   17    17 
Proceeds from sales of additional 1,900,000 founder shares   11,400    11,400 
Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering   68,489    68,489 
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption/tender   (146,128,970)   (168,628,970)
   $5,000,007   $5,000,007 

 

Denominator: 

WITHOUT

OVER-
ALLOTMENT

 

WITH

OVER-

ALLOTMENT

Shares of common stock outstanding prior to this offering, including EBC shares(1)   5,087,500    6,212,500 
Shares of common stock included in the units offered   15,000,000    17,250,000 
Share of common stock from private placement   459,500    459,500 
Less: shares subject to redemption   (14,612,897)   (16,862,897)
    6,096,603    7,221,603 

  

(1)  Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 1,125,000 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

 

CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization at March 31, 2021 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units and the private shares and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:

 

    March 31, 2021  
    Actual     As Adjusted(1)  
Note payable to related party(2)    $ 107,352     $ -  
Common stock, $.0001 par value, –0– and 14,611,757 shares which are subject to possible redemption/tender(3)      -       146,128,970  
Stockholders’ equity:                
Preferred stock, $.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding, actual and as adjusted   $ -      $ -  
Common stock, $.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 4,562,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 5,347,743 shares(4) issued and outstanding (excluding 14,611,757 shares subject to possible redemption/tender), as adjusted     456       489  
Additional paid-in capital     24,544       5,001,957  
Accumulated deficit     (2,439 )     (2,439 )
Total stockholders’ equity:   22,561     $ 5,000,007  
Total capitalization   $ 129,913     $ 151,128,977  

 

(1) Includes the $4,595,000 we will receive from the sale of the private shares.
(2) Represents amount outstanding under the $300,000 promissory note issued to our sponsor. The note is non-interest bearing and is payable on the earlier to occur of October 31, 2021 or the consummation of this offering.
(3) Upon the consummation of our initial business combination, we will provide our stockholders (but not our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers or directors) with the opportunity to redeem or sell their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest not previously released to us (less taxes payable), subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001. The actual number of shares that may be redeemed/sold may exceed this amount provided that we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of the business combination.
(4) Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 1,125,000 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

We were formed on November 5, 2020 for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region although we currently intend to focus on businesses in the FinTech industry. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination utilizing cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of private shares, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), securities issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing:

 

  may significantly reduce the equity interest of our stockholders;

 

  may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock;

 

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

 

  may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

 

  default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations;

 

  acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

 

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

 

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

 

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our entire activity since inception has been to prepare for our proposed fundraising through an offering of our equity securities.

 

We are an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.

 

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of March 31, 2021, we had cash of $62,610 and a working capital deficit of $45,929 (excluding deferred offering costs). Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management plans to address this uncertainty through this offering and the sale of the private shares. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through the payment of certain of our deferred offering costs with the $25,000 purchase price of the founder shares and loans available to us from our sponsor in a maximum amount of $300,000 that are more fully described below. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $500,000 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $1,500,000 (or $1,725,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and the advisory fee of $1,500,000 paid to CCM and (ii) the sale of the private shares for a purchase price of $4,595,000 will be $151,095,000 (or $173,595,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $150,000,000 (or $172,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The remaining $1,095,000 will not be held in trust.

 

We may use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to the representative, upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination, as described under the section titled “Underwriting — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders’ fees which we had incurred prior to the completion of our business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.

 

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the approximate $1,095,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:

 

  $140,000 of expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of a business combination;

 

  $100,000 of expenses for the due diligence and investigation of a target business by our officers, directors and sponsor;

 

  $120,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting obligations;

 

  $180,000 for the payment of the administrative fee ($10,000 per month for 18 months); and

 

  $555,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses, including D&O insurance.

 

If our estimates of the above costs are less than the actual costs, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. We do not have a maximum debt leverage ratio or a policy with respect to how much debt we may incur. The amount of debt we will be willing to incur will depend on the facts and circumstances of the proposed business combination and market conditions at the time of the potential business combination. At this time, we are not party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising additional funds through the sale of our securities or the incurrence of debt. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. In the current economic environment, it has become especially difficult to obtain acquisition financing. Additionally, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

 

 

49

 

 

Related Party Transactions

 

As of March 31, 2021, our sponsor has loaned us $107,352 under the $300,000 promissory note on a non-interest-bearing basis for payment of offering expenses on our behalf. The loan will be payable without interest on the earlier to occur of October 31, 2021 or the consummation of this offering. If the offering is consummated, the loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares not being placed in trust.

 

We are obligated, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay our sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for general and administrative services.

 

Pursuant to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up by an additional three months. In order to effectuate such extension, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon ten days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $1,600,000, or up to $1,840,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three-month extension (or up to an aggregate of $3,200,000 (or $3,680,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, such loans will not be repaid.

 

Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 459,500 private shares at a price of $10.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,000.

 

Upon consummation of this offering, our sponsor will sell membership interests reflecting an allocation of 131,250 founder shares to each anchor investor that purchases the full number of units allocated to it in this offering. Each anchor investor has agreed that if it does not purchase the units allocated to such anchor investor in this offering, it will not have any rights to purchase such membership interests from our sponsor. The initial stockholders and their permitted transferees have the right to require us to register their founder shares for resale as described in “Shares Eligible For Future Sale — Registration Rights.”

 

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, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we consummate an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts, without interest; provided that up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The shares would be identical to the private shares. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

 

Controls and Procedures

 

We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022. As of the date of this prospectus, 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. Target businesses we may consider for a business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

 

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

 

  reconciliation of accounts;

 

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

 

  evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;

 

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

 

  documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

 

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

 

 

50

 

 

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

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, including amounts in the trust account, will 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. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results

 

As of March 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.

 

PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

General

 

We are 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 with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination throughout this prospectus. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry, we intend to concentrate our efforts identifying businesses in the FinTech industry with an enterprise value of approximately $500 million to $1.0 billion, with particular emphasis on businesses that are providing digital, on-line or mobile payment solutions, processing and gateway services, point-of-sale technologies, consumer engagement platforms, and ecommerce and loyalty solutions.

 

We believe the creation, delivery and servicing of financial payment products and related services for consumers and businesses is undergoing continuous evolution, which will further and dramatically develop in the years ahead. Amid an increased level of sophistication in financial technology and services, we believe that there are many potential targets within the financial technology industry that could become attractive public companies, and that many other potential targets will continue to emerge. These potential targets exhibit a diverse range of business models and growth characteristics, ranging from high-growth companies to established firms with stable revenues and strong cash flow. In addition, these businesses tend to have above-industry growth rates and would greatly benefit from access to public market capital and management’s extensive operational experience in both public and private companies. We believe our management team is well-positioned to capitalize on these trends and to identify, acquire, and manage a business in the financial technologies industry that can benefit from their operational, strategic, managerial and transaction experience, as well as their differentiated networks.

 

We are not, however, required to complete our initial business combination with a financial technologies business and, as a result, we may pursue a business combination outside of that industry. We will seek to acquire established businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound but potentially in need of financial, operational, strategic or managerial redirection to maximize value. We may also look at earlier stage companies that exhibit the potential to change the industries in which they participate and which will offer the potential of sustained high levels of revenue and earnings growth.

 

51

 

Our Management Team

 

Our management team has significant operational experience working as executives and advisors in the financial technologies industry, particularly in the FinTech payments ecosystem. Our management team consists of seasoned leaders that have years of experience identifying and capitalizing on emerging technological and secular trends across the financial technologies industry, building and scaling high growth FinTech companies, a history of value creation in C-level operating roles in public companies, and delivering operational strategies designed to improve businesses over the long-term. Our management team is experienced in a variety of delivery models, including direct-to-consumer and business-to-business services as well as scalable networks, consumer engagement services, open platform technologies and robust ecosystems. Our management team is also well-versed in the regulatory and quasi-regulatory landscape that directly and indirectly impacts the financial technologies industry. In addition, our management team has significant transaction experience having executed and integrated numerous transactions in the financial technologies industry as operators and advisors. Messrs. Stephen P. Herbert and Douglas M. Lurio, our Chief Executive Officer and President, respectively, have worked together in the FinTech space for over 25 years. From 1996 to 2019, the two worked together at USA Technologies, Inc. (which changed its name to Cantaloupe Inc. on April 15, 2021, NASDAQ: CTLP), a publicly traded FinTech company (“USAT”), of which Mr. Herbert served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for eight years (and as an executive officer prior thereto) and Mr. Lurio served as outside general counsel for 29 years. While at USAT, the two were involved in the company’s private and public funding of over $390 million, including public financings in excess of $100 million, as well as the company’s acquisitions, including the company’s nearly $90 million acquisition of Cantaloupe Systems, Inc. in November 2017. While Messrs. Herbert and Lurio worked together at USAT, the company’s revenues grew from approximately $80,000 to approximately $170 million on an annualized basis, customer connections grew from 135 to 1.2 million, customers grew from approximately 135 to 20,000, annual transaction processing dollars grew from a nominal amount to $1.73 billion, the number of annual customer transactions increased from a nominal amount to nearly 890 million, recurring revenues on an annualized basis increased from a nominal amount to $140 million, and USAT attained its largest market cap of nearly $1 billion as of August 17, 2018.

 

During his tenure at USAT, Mr. Herbert was recognized for his innovative leadership, including by Smart CEO, and as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in the Greater Philadelphia area, and USAT received the following awards: Frost and Sullivan for Customer Value Leadership in the Integrated Financial Services and Retail Market, IoT Evolution Smart Machines Innovation, and a Deloitte Fast 500 Company. Previously, Mr. Herbert was employed by Pepsi-Cola, the beverage division of PepsiCo, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP), and was a Manager of Market Strategy at Pepsi-Cola from 1994 to April 1996, responsible for directing development of market strategy for the vending channel, and subsequently, the supermarket channel for Pepsi-Cola in North America. Mr. Herbert resigned as Chief Executive Officer of USAT on October 17, 2019, and pursuant to his separation agreement was engaged as a consultant to serve as a resource for the incoming interim Chief Executive Officer for a one year period and was subject to a non-compete and a non-solicitation of clients, customers and employees during such one year period. Commencing in October 2020, Mr. Herbert has focused on the business of our Company as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

 

As a result of adjustments to previously reported revenues that were identified in connection with certain customer transactions, in February 2019, USAT determined to restate certain of its financial statements. Subsequent thereto, and during the audit and restatement process, additional adjustments related to financial reporting and accounting policy issues were identified which were unrelated to the foregoing adjustments. Based upon these additional adjustments, USAT determined to restate additional financial statements. Due to the foregoing, USAT was not able to file certain of its periodic reports within the time period required by Nasdaq, and USAT’s shares were suspended from trading on Nasdaq on September 26, 2019 and were subsequently relisted on Nasdaq. On October 9, 2019, USAT filed its outstanding periodic financial reports and announced that it had raised $20 million in an equity funding and obtained a commitment from the investor to extend a $30 million senior debt term loan facility. USAT has publicly disclosed that it has responded to a subpoena received from a regulatory agency that sought records regarding prior financial reporting periods, including the aforementioned restatements. USAT indicated that it is cooperating fully with the agency's requests.

 

Mr. Lurio is a former securities and corporate law partner of the Dilworth Paxson law firm and has been the founder and President of the Lurio & Associates, P.C. law firm since 1991 which specializes in corporate and securities law. He was counsel and a Director of Moro Corporation (OTCQX: MRCR), a Delaware corporation, which is in the construction contracting business, for 20 years from start-up founding in 1999 until July 2019. Since 1989, he has also served as Secretary and Director of Elbeco Incorporated, a leading manufacturer of career apparel and uniforms for first responders such as EMS personnel, police and firefighters.

 

In addition to Messrs. Lurio and Herbert, our Board of Directors consists of Mohammad A. Khan, Celso L. White and Thomas (Tad) A. Decker. Our independent directors have highly relevant experiences and skill sets, including prior independent Board experience at United States listed companies, significant private and public equity, and capital markets experience, and international transaction and business development experience.

 

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Mohammad A. Khan has been an industry leader in the development and adoption of mobile payments, mobile/omni-channel marketing, efficient and secured payment infrastructure, multi factor authentication, and technologies like NFC-contactless, QR codes, tokenization and Blockchain. He is currently the President and a Board member of Omnyway, Inc. (previously OmnyPay), which he co-founded in August 2014, and which abstracts the complexities of disparate digital wallet payment systems to enable elegant, flexible and scalable implementations in physical stores and online. He was the President and Board member of ViVOtech (acquired by Sequent Software, Inc. in August 2012) from the time he founded it in May 2001 until August 2012. ViVOtech pioneered making a mobile device a viable payment media for consumers using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology as well as making mobile an efficient marketing and advertising channel. While at ViVOtech, Mr. Khan assisted in enabling the adoption of NFC mobile payments through shipping of more than 800,000 NFC POS readers to merchants globally and driving more than 20 field trials of NFC mobile payments, coupons, and loyalty. From 1984 until 1998, he was part of the industry team at VeriFone (acquired by Hewlett Packard in 1997) that lead the effort to make Magnetic Stripe Cards the primary payment media for in-store payments, Smart Cards to be secured payment media for in-store payments, and the adoption of Internet payments and online e-commerce globally. From February 2014 to January 2021, Mr. Khan had been a Board advisor of Poynt Co. which offers an all-in-one omnicommerce payment solution and which was acquired by GoDaddy, Inc. (NYSE: GDDY) in February 2021. He has served on the Boards of numerous Fintech companies, including as Chairman of the Board of YellowPepper Holding Corporation from June 2015 to September 2018, which provided mobile payment solutions, and which was acquired by VISA in October 2020. Mr. Khan is the inventor of more than 40 United States patents which have been granted by the United States Trademark and Patent Office.

 

Thomas (Tad) A. Decker has significant experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, complex regulatory and legal issues, financial reporting and accounting and controls. He has also served in senior leadership roles in a number of global organizations such as Cozen O’Connor, Asbury Automotive, Inc., Unisource Worldwide, Inc. and Saint-Gobain Corporation. Since 2013, he has been the Vice Chairman of Cozen O’Connor, a law firm with 30 offices and over 775 attorneys. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the firm from 2007 to 2012, and as Managing Partner from May 2000 until 2004. From 2004 until 2007, he served as inaugural Chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board following the appointment by Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. He served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Asbury Automotive, Inc. from 1999 to 2000; General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Unisource Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: UWW) from 1997 to 1999; and General Counsel, Secretary, Acting CFO and Chief Operating Officer for Saint-Gobain Corporation from 1974 to 1997. He led the corporate merger and acquisition activities during his tenures at Saint-Gobain Corporation and Unisource Worldwide, Inc. Since 2004, he has served on the Board of Directors of Actua Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTA), including serving as a member of its Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. He served as a Director and a member at various times of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of Pierce Leahy Corporation (NYSE: PLH) from 1993 to 1999, and has served as a Board member of numerous nonprofit institutions.

 

Celso L. White brings operational, industry, international business, strategic initiative, risk management and environmental and safety expertise to the Board as well as public Board experience. From 2013 to December 2019, he served as Global Chief Supply Chain Officer at Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP), one of the largest global brewers with more than 40 breweries in the United States, Canada, Europe and India and worldwide distribution, and with annual net sales of approximately $10.6 billion during 2019. From 2010 to January 2013, he was Vice President of International Supply Chain at Molson Coors. From 1998 to 2010, he was at PepsiCola (Nasdaq: PEP), leading the R&D process and manufacturing technology teams from 1998 to 2004, and then as Vice President and General Manager of Concentrate Operations, responsible for the Americas and parts of Asia, from 2004 to 2010. He served in various senior operational roles at Silgin White Corp. from 1984 until 1990, M&M/Mars from 1990 until 1993, and Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) from 1993 until 1998. In January 2020, he co-founded Igniting Business Growth LLC, a consultancy business. Since 2018, Mr. White has served as a Board member and a member of the Compensation and Management Development Committee of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CF), one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of nitrogen fertilizer and other nitrogen products. He serves on the Board of Colorado UpLift, whose mission is to build long-term, life-changing relationships with urban youth, based in Denver, Colorado. He is also a member of the Bradley University Board of Trustees.

 

We believe that our management team’s extensive relationships across the financial technologies industries, comprehensive operating experience building leading companies, transaction experience in acquiring and integrating businesses and focus on partnering with management teams to share our industry knowledge and network of long-standing industry relationships will enable us to access premium acquisition opportunities, consummate an initial business combination and facilitate innovative operational improvements and potential additional acquisitions post-close. Our collective experience in addressing complex situations across consumer- and business-facing business models involving a variety of revenue models and constituents, including the FinTech payment ecosystem and related consumer engagement platforms, and developing creative solutions forms the foundation of our competitive advantage.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the past performance of our management team is not a guarantee of either: (i) success with respect to any business combination we may consummate; or (ii) success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. No member of our management team has had management experience with any special purpose acquisition company in the past. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance as indicative of future performance.

 

For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the section entitled “Management.”

 

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Business Strategy

 

We currently intend to concentrate our efforts in identifying businesses in the FinTech industry with an equity value of approximately $500 million to $1.0 billion, with particular emphasis on businesses that provide digital, on-line or mobile payment solutions, processing and gateway services, point-of-sale technologies, consumer marketing platforms, and ecommerce and loyalty solutions. According to Pitchbook, global investment in financial technology by venture capital and private equity firms has grown rapidly in recent years, increasing from nearly $14.8 billion in 2011 to $89.2 billion in 2019. From 2011 to 2019, $530.1 billion was invested in FinTech by venture capital and private equity firms in over 23,000 deals. Also, the technical and economic situation resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is leading to further transformation in the FinTech industry. There has also been a massive secular shift in the payment industry to an integrated payment model which includes the enablement of payments within core business management software, simplifying payment acceptance, easing reconciliation, and enriching system data. These enterprises often offer consumer engagement platforms by which these firms engage their customers and market and provide related services to them.

 

Over the past several years, there has been a rise in the level of sophistication and interconnectivity between innovative technology and financial services providers, and we expect this trend to continue and accelerate. We believe that there are many potential targets within the FinTech space that could become attractive public companies. These potential targets exhibit a broad range of business models and financial characteristics that range from very high growth innovative companies to more mature businesses with established franchises, recurring revenues and strong cash flows.

 

There has been significant disruption and change in the delivery of financial services in recent years, including, among others: 

 

  Retail banking (mobile payments, Neo-Banks);

 

  Payments processing for consumers and businesses, including unattended Point of Sale payment systems;

 

  Wealth management (robo advisors);

 

  Digital Marketing;

 

  Exchanges and trading platforms;

 

  Big data moving to the cloud, APIs, data security; and

 

  Digital assets and blockchain technology.

 

With increased adoption of technology solutions by both consumers and businesses, we believe that the sector is poised for continued growth in both overall market size and penetration. Key industry characteristics include long-term organic growth, attractive competitive dynamics and further consolidation opportunities. Key business characteristics include high barriers to entry, low risk of technological obsolescence and public market-ready scale. Key financial metrics include organic revenue growth, recurring revenues and strong cash flow conversion.

 

We do not intend to limit our search to one segment of the financial technologies ecosystem, but will instead target a wide variety of companies that deliver a solution or product to the financial services end-market. We believe that our management’s extensive experience and demonstrated success in operating, advising and investing in businesses in this industry provides us with a unique set of capabilities that will be utilized in generating stockholder returns.

 

We will seek to acquire established businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound but potentially in need of financial, operational, strategic or managerial improvements to maximize value. We will also look at earlier stage companies that exhibit the potential to change the industries in which they participate and which offer the potential of sustained high levels of revenue growth. Consistent with our industry focus, we intend to target financial technologies businesses that have strong management teams, demonstrated organic growth, and differentiated products or services. Opportunities range from high-growth, customer facing technologies in payments, lending and digital assets to more mature, high-margin, stable businesses which may be engaged in lending, asset management, or providing critical processing and support to established financial services firms.

 

We believe that the wide networks of our management team will deliver access to a broad spectrum of opportunities across the financial technologies landscape. 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, law firms, accounting firms, and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.

 

Upon completion of this offering, the members of our management team will communicate with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target company and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.

 

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Acquisition / Investment Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria. We expect that no individual criterion will entirely determine a decision to pursue a particular opportunity. We intend to seek a business combination with a business that we believe:

  Is fundamentally sound and can unlock and enhance stockholder value through a combination with us, thereby offering attractive risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders;
  Is at an inflection point, such as requiring additional management expertise, and able to accelerate growth and financial performance through differentiated business models and the addition of our operational, financial, transactional and legal expertise and networks;
  Is in need of a flexible, creative or opportunistic structure where we can deliver additional value;
  Has a strong, experienced management team, or provides a platform to assemble an effective management team with a track record of driving growth and profitability;
  Can benefit from being a publicly traded company, with access to broader capital markets, to achieve the business’ growth strategy;
  Is poised to grow both organically through the application of technology, as well as inorganically, through bolt-on or transformational acquisitions;
  Has a leading or niche market position and demonstrates advantages when compared to competitors, which may help to create barriers to entry against new competitors; and
  Exhibits unrecognized value or other characteristics that we believe can be enhanced based on our analysis and due diligence review.

 

We anticipate offering the following benefits to our business combination partner:

  Partnership with our management team members who have extensive and proven experience in operating, leading, advising and investing in market-leading financial services and FinTech companies;
  Access to our deep and broad networks, insights and operational, financial, transactional, and legal and regulatory expertise;
  Increased company profile and improved credibility with investors, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders;
  Higher level of engagement with core, relevant, fundamental investors as anchor stockholders than what a traditional IPO book-building process offers;
  Lower risk and expedited path to a public listing with flexible structuring;
  Infusion of cash and ongoing access to public capital markets;
  Listed public currency for future acquisitions and growth;
  Ability for management team to retain control and focus on growing the business; and
  Opportunity to motivate and retain employees using stock-based compensation.

 

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria as well as other considerations and factors that our management team and advisors may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our 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.

 

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, these criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may or may not be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant.

 

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination for three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination) without submitting such proposed extension to our stockholders for approval or offering our public stockholders redemption rights in connection therewith.  Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon ten days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $1,500,000, or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, or $0.10 per share. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan made no later than three business days prior to the 15-month anniversary of this offering. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of the loans made by our sponsor, our officers and directors, or our or their affiliates to us prior to or in connection with our initial business combination (including loans made to extend our time period for consummating a business combination) may be convertible into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender.

 

Our Acquisition Process

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we conduct thorough due diligence that encompasses, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us. We utilize our operational and capital allocation experience. We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, 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 our company from a financial point of view.

 

Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private shares following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. We currently do not have any specific transaction under consideration with a target business with which to consummate 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. 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 to complete our business combination.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding 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.

 

 

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Effecting a Business Combination

 

General

 

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of private shares, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified. Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital, but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.

 

We Have Not Identified a Target Business

 

To date, we have not selected any target business on which to concentrate our search for a business combination. None of our sponsor, officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussions on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or other similar business combination with us. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate such companies. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a target business or that we will be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.

 

Subject to our management team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the fair market value requirement described below, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses other than as described above. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.

 

Sources of Target Businesses

 

While we have not yet selected a target business with which to consummate our initial business combination, we believe based on our management’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous potential candidates. We expect that our principal means of identifying potential target businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships of our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors. While our officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed over their careers and their access to our sponsor’s contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community as well as large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting.

 

 

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Our officers and directors have agreed, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he or she ceases to be an officer or director, to present to us all suitable target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis (other than the representative as described elsewhere in this prospectus), we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our sponsor, officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, the payment of consulting, success or finder fees in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, the repayment of the $300,000 loan and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

  

We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.

 

Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination

 

Subject to our management team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:

 

  financial condition and results of operation;

 

  growth potential;

 

  brand recognition and potential;

 

  experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel;

 

  capital requirements;

 

  competitive position;

 

  barriers to entry;

 

  stage of development of the products, processes or services;

 

  existing distribution and potential for expansion;

 

  degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services;

 

  proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas;

 

  impact of regulation on the business;

 

  regulatory environment of the industry;

 

  costs associated with effecting the business combination;

 

  industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and

 

  macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes.

 

 

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These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.

  

The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.

 

Fair Market Value of Target Business

 

Nasdaq listing rules require that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

 

We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or a newly formed subsidiary or where we acquire 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, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could 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 equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance test.

 

The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.

 

Lack of Business Diversification

 

We may seek to effect a business combination with more than one target business, although we expect to complete our business combination with just one business. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

 

  subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination, and

 

  result in our dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

 

 

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If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses 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 acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, 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.

 

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’ Management

 

Although we intend to scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target business’ management will prove to be correct. In addition, we cannot assure you that the future management will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following a business combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full-time efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination 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 them to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

 

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

 

Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination

 

In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. 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. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. Whether we seek stockholder approval or engage in a tender offer, we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In the event that our anchor investors purchase all of the units that they have collectively expressed an interest in purchasing in this offering and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination. We have no specified maximum percentage threshold for redemptions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and even those public stockholders who vote in favor of our initial business combination have the right to redeem their public shares. As a result, this may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination.

 

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We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets immediately prior to or upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to redeem any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination.

 

None of our officers, directors, sponsor, or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of common stock in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination or that they wish to redeem their shares, our officers, directors, sponsor, or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote and reduce the number of redemptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor, and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock.

 

Redemption Rights

 

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.

 

Our sponsor, initial stockholders and our officers and directors will not have redemption rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket.

 

We may require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.

 

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery 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 amount and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise redemption rights prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

 

 

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Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his redemption rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.

 

In the event that our anchor investors purchase all of the units that they have collectively expressed an interest in purchasing in this offering and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination. We intend to give not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreement of our sponsor, 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.

 

Any request to redeem such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of public shares delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their redemption and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

 

If the 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 shares delivered by public holders.

 

Liquidation if No Business Combination

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, 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 liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to redeem or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of 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 not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, executive officers, directors or any other person.

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, 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 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law 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. It is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 15th month or if extended, 18th month, 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.

 

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Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, 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 liquidation distribution.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law 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 ten 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.

 

We are required to seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that other vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement entered into by our sponsor specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.00 due to claims or potential claims of creditors.

 

We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after our 15th month or if extended, 18th month and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate such distribution. The holders of the founder shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account with respect to such shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $100,000) and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.

 

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.00. As discussed above, the proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.

 

 

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Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period, if the stockholders seek to have us redeem or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to consummating an initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

 

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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 to our public stockholders at least $10.00 per share.

 

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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 all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public 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.

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our stockholders. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to redeem or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering, we will provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or any other person. Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:

 

  we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein;

 

  we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination;

 

  if our initial business combination is not consummated within 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering, then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve our company;

 

  upon the consummation of this offering, $150.0 million, or approximately $172.5 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account;

 

 

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  we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and

 

  prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the common stock sold in this offering on an initial business combination.

 

Competition

 

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.

 

The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:

 

  our obligation to seek stockholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction;

 

  our obligation to redeem or repurchase shares of common stock held by our public stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; and

 

  our outstanding warrants, and the potential future dilution they represent.

 

Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.

 

If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

 

Facilities

 

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 2005 Market Street, Suite 3120, Philadelphia, PA 19103. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month fee to our sponsor. We will be charged for general and administrative services commencing on the date of this prospectus pursuant to a letter agreement between us and our sponsor. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that the fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

Employees

 

We have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management may spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.

 

 

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Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

 

We have registered our units, common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and will 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 report 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 any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards as promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.

 

We may be required to have our internal control procedures audited for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

 

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.

 

Comparison to Offerings of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

 

The following table compares and contrasts the terms of this offering and the terms of an offering of blank check companies under Rule 419 promulgated by the SEC assuming that the gross proceeds, underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses for the Rule 419 offering are the same as this offering and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the terms of a Rule 419 offering will apply to this offering because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact.

 

 

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    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Escrow of offering proceeds   $150,000,000 of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private shares will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. The trustee will deposit the proceeds in a brokerage account located in the United States at Goldman Sachs. The proceeds will be invested at the direction of the trustee.   $133,650,000 of the offering proceeds would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.
Investment of net proceeds   The $150,000,000 of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares held in trust will only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act with 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.   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.
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 a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

  We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
Trading of securities issued   The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The shares of common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless the representative informs us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares, including any proceeds   No trading of the units or the underlying shares of 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 the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
    we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if such option is exercised prior to the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise and consummation of the over-allotment option. We will also include in this Form 8-K, an amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if the representative has allowed separate trading of the shares of common stock and warrants prior to the 90th day after the date of this prospectus.    
Exercise of the warrants   The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of a business combination and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed.   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 either (1) give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock to us in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with 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 as we would have included in a proxy statement.   A prospectus containing information 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 the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his or her 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 would automatically be returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued.

 

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    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Business combination deadline   Pursuant to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, 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 liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.   If an acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors.
Interest earned on the funds in the trust account   There can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our tax obligations. The remaining interest earned on the funds in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.   All interest earned on the funds in the trust account will be held in trust for the benefit of public stockholders until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.
Release of funds   Except for any interest earned on the funds in the trust account released to us for our tax obligations as described above, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.   The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released to the company until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:

 

Name   Age   Title
Stephen P. Herbert   58   Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
Douglas M. Lurio   64   President, Treasurer, Secretary and Director
Mohammad A. Khan   63   Director
Thomas A. Decker   75   Director
Celso L. White   59   Director

 

Stephen P. Herbert has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman since our inception. Mr. Herbert was affiliated with USAT in various positions from April 1996 to October 2019, most recently as CEO from November 2011 until he left the company. During his tenure at USAT, Mr. Herbert was recognized for his innovative leadership, including by Smart CEO, and as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in the Greater Philadelphia area, and USAT received the following awards: Frost and Sullivan for Customer Value Leadership in the Integrated Financial Services and Retail Market, IoT Evolution Smart Machines Innovation, and a Deloitte Fast 500 Company. From 1986 to April 1996, Mr. Herbert was employed by Pepsi-Cola, the beverage division of PepsiCo, Inc., in various capacities, most recently as Manager of Market Strategy where he was responsible for directing development of market strategy for the vending channel, and subsequently, the supermarket channel for Pepsi-Cola in North America. Mr. Herbert graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University. He serves on the LSU, Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Humanities, and the LSU Foundation – National Board – which is the group leading the University’s present $1.5 billion capital campaign.

 

We believe Mr. Herbert is well qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his executive leadership at USAT, including his significant knowledge of and experience with its financial technology and payments business, his experience building and scaling high growth FinTech companies, and his public Board experience.

 

Douglas M. Lurio has served as our President and Director since our inception. He was the outside general counsel of USAT for 29 years from its founding in 1991 until April 2020. He also served as a Director of the company from 1999 to 2012 and as corporate Secretary from 2012 to April 2020. Since 1991, Mr. Lurio has been the founder and President of Lurio & Associates, P.C., a law firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which focuses on corporate and securities law. From 1984 to 1991, he was an attorney with the law firm of Dilworth Paxson, first as an associate and then as a partner in the securities and corporate group in 1990. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable William T. Nicholas of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, from 1981 through 1982. He was counsel and a director of Moro Corporation (OTCQX: MRCR), which is engaged in the construction contracting business from start-up founding in 1999 until July 2019. Since 1989, he has also served as corporate Secretary and Director of Elbeco Incorporated, a leading manufacturer of career apparel and uniforms for first responders such as EMS personnel, police and firefighters. He attended Franklin & Marshall College (B.A., Government), Villanova Law School (Juris Doctor) and Temple Law School (LLM, Taxation).

We believe that Mr. Lurio is well qualified to serve on our Board because of his significant experience in public company mergers, acquisitions and capital raising, his longstanding service as outside general counsel to USAT, his significant knowledge of and experience with the financial technology and payments business, and his public company Board experience.

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Mohammad A. Khan, our director, is currently the President and a Board member of Omnyway, Inc. (previously OmnyPay), which he co-founded in August 2014, and which abstracts the complexities of disparate digital wallet payment systems to enable elegant, flexible and scalable implementations in physical stores and online. He was the President and Board member of ViVOtech (acquired by a Sequent Software, Inc. in August 2012) from the time he founded it in May 2001 until August 2012. ViVOtech pioneered making a mobile device a viable payment media for consumers using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology as well as making mobile an efficient marketing and advertising channel. While at ViVOtech, Mr. Khan assisted in enabling the adoption of NFC mobile payments through shipping of more than 800,000 NFC POS readers to merchants globally and driving more than 20 field trials of NFC mobile payments, coupons, and loyalty. From 1984 until 1998, he was part of the industry team at VeriFone (acquired by Hewlett Packard in 1997) that lead the effort to make Magnetic Stripe Cards the primary payment media for in-store payments, Smart Cards to be secured payment media for in-store payments, and the adoption of Internet payments and online e-commerce globally. From February 2014 to January 2021, Mr. Khan had been a Board advisor of Poynt Co. which offers an all-in-one omnicommerce payment solution and which was acquired by GoDaddy, Inc. (NYSE: GDDY) in February 2021. He has served on the Boards of numerous FinTech companies, including as Chairman of the Board of YellowPepper Holding Corporation from June 2015 to September 2018, which provided mobile payment solutions, and which was acquired by VISA in October 2020. Mr. Khan is the inventor of more than 40 United States patents which have been granted by the United States Trademark and Patent Office. Mr. Khan attended the University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, and was awarded a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering. He also attended the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and received a M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering.

 

We believe that Mr. Khan is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his longstanding and significant experience and familiarity with the electronic payments industry, ecommerce, and cloud payments, and his significant leadership experience in the industry.

 

Thomas (Tad) A. Decker, our director, has been the Vice Chairman of Cozen O’Connor, a law firm with 30 offices and over 775 attorneys, since 2013. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the firm from 2007 to 2012, and as Managing Partner from May 2000 until 2004. From 2004 until 2007, he served as inaugural Chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board following the appointment by Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. He served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Asbury Automotive, Inc. from 1999 to 2000; General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Unisource Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: UWW) from 1997 to 1999; and General Counsel, Secretary, Acting CFO and Chief Operating Officer for Saint-Gobain Corporation from 1974 to 1997. Since 2004, he has served on the Board of Directors of Actua Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTA), including serving as a member of its Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. He served as a Director and a member at various times of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of Pierce Leahy Corporation (NYSE: PLH) from 1993 to 1999, and has served as a Board member of numerous nonprofit institutions. He is also a director of The Gesu School. He is a former chair of the Philadelphia Municipal Authority and a former board member of the Delaware River Port Authority, Port Authority Transit Corp. (PATCO), the Philadelphia Zoo, and a former a vice chair of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Mr. Decker has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts (History) degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Decker served in the United States Army earning the rank of Captain.

We believe that Mr. Decker is well qualified to serve as a director due to his legal and accounting background, his extensive experience with operating public and private companies, his leadership roles with major global companies, and his significant public board and Audit Committee experience.

Celso L. White, our director, he has worked as the co-founder of Igniting Business Growth LLC, a consultancy business, since January 2020. From 2013 to December 2019, he served as the Global Chief Supply Chain Officer at Molson Coors Brewing Company (“Molson Coors”) (NYSE: TAP), an international brewery. From 2010 to January 2013, he served as the Vice President of International Supply Chain at Molson Coors. From 1998 until 2010, he was at PepsiCola (“Pepsi”) (Nasdaq: PEP), where he had multiple roles. From 2004 until 2010, he was Pepsi’s Vice President and General Manager of Concentrate Operations, responsible for the Americas and parts of Asia. From 1998 until 2004, he lead Pepsi’s research and development process and manufacturing technology teams. Since 2018, he has served as a Board member of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CF), a manufacturer and distributor of nitrogen products, and is a member of the Board’s Compensation and Management Development Committee. He also serves on the Board of Colorado UpLift, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build long-term relationships with urban youth in Denver, Colorado. He is also a member of the Bradley University Board of Trustees. Mr. White received his MBA with a concentration in Operations Management from DePaul University and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Bradley University.

We believe that Mr. White is well qualified to serve as a director due to his extensive experience with public and private companies, his leadership roles with major global companies and his public board and committee experience.

 

 

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Executive Compensation

 

No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date of this prospectus through the acquisition of a target business or our liquidation of the trust account, we will pay our sponsor $10,000 per month for providing us with office space and certain office and secretarial services. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors compensation in lieu of a salary. We may also pay consulting, finder or success fees to our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates for assisting us in consummating our initial business combination with such fee to be determined in an arms’ length negotiation based on the terms of the business combination.

 

Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, the payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination and the repayment of the up to $300,000 loan made by our sponsor to us, no compensation or fees of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, they will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of consulting, success or finder fees payable by us upon consummation of an initial business combination. Additionally, there is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.

 

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

 

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

 

We currently have five directors. Our board of directors is 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. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one full year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq.

 

The term of office of the Class A directors, consisting of Mr. White, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of Class B directors, consisting of Messrs. Decker and Khan, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the Class C directors, consisting of Messrs. Herbert and Lurio, will expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders.

 

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 a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretaries and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.

 

Director Independence

 

Currently, Messrs. Decker, Khan and White is each considered an “independent director” under the Nasdaq listing rules, which 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 independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

 

 

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Audit Committee

 

We have established an audit committee of the board of directors, which consists of Messrs. Decker, Kahn, and White, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

 

  reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K;

 

  discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements;

 

  discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies;

 

  monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;

 

  verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;

 

  reviewing and approving all related-party transactions;

 

  inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 

  pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

 

  appointing or replacing the independent auditor;

 

  determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

 

  establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and

 

  approving reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in identifying potential target businesses.

 

Financial Experts on Audit Committee

 

The audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Nasdaq’s standards define “financially literate” as being able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

 

In addition, we must certify to Nasdaq that the committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s financial sophistication. The board of directors has determined that Mr. Decker qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.

 

Director Nominations

 

We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Messrs. Decker, Kahn, and White. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.

 

The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.

 

We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders.

 

 

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Compensation Committee

 

We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors, which consists of Messrs. Decker and Kahn, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

 

  reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;

 

  reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers;

 

  reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

  implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

 

  assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

  approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

 

  if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

  reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

 

Code of Ethics

 

We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

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:

 

  the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

 

  the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and

 

  it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that:

 

  except as may be prescribed by any written agreement with us, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue; and

 

  our officers and directors will not be liable to our company or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of any fiduciary duty by reason of any of our activities or any of our sponsor or its affiliates to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

 

Our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with other companies. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from such other corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has contractually agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he ceases to be an officer or director, to present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations he might have. The foregoing agreement does not restrict our officers and directors from becoming affiliated with other companies in the future which could take priority over our company. However, we believe that such agreement still benefits us because our officers and directors are obligated to present suitable business opportunities to us to the extent that none of their other fiduciary or contractual obligations require them to present it to another entity.

 

 

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The following table summarizes the pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors besides our sponsor:

 

Name of Individual   Name of Affiliated Entity   Affiliation
Douglas M. Lurio   Elbeco Incorporated   Director
    Lurio & Associates, P.C.   Founder and President
         
Mohammad A. Khan   Omnyway, Inc.   Co-founder, President and Director
         
Thomas A. Decker   Actua Corporation   Director
    Cozen O’Connor   Vice Chairman
         
Celso L. White   Igniting Business Growth LLC   Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
    CF Industries Holdings, Inc.   Director

 

While the foregoing may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

 

Investors should also be aware of the following additional potential conflicts of interest:

 

  None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities.

 

  Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement or repayment for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them, or loans made to us, to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account.

 

 

The founder shares and private shares beneficially owned by our initial stockholders will become worthless if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our officers and directors and affiliates will not receive liquidation distributions from the trust account with respect to any of the founder shares or the private shares. Furthermore, our sponsor has agreed that the private shares will not be sold or transferred by it until after we have completed a business combination.

 

For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect a business combination with.

 

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors, or sponsor unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors. Furthermore, other than payments to CCM, in no event will any of our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, the payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial stockholders or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, repayment of the up to $300,000 loan and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses.

 

 

 

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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our shares of common stock included in the units sold in this offering and the sale of the private shares (assuming none of the individuals listed purchase units in this offering), by:

 

  each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;

 

  each of our officers and directors; and

 

  all of our officers and directors as a group.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of the warrants included in the units offered by this prospectus as the warrants included in the units offered by this prospectus are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.

 

    Prior to Offering   After Offering(2)
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)    Amount and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership
  Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding
Shares of
Common
Stock
  Amount and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership
  Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding
Shares of
Common Stock
Stephen P. Herbert   6,057,500 (3)   95.0%      5,392,000 (5)   26.0%  
Douglas M. Lurio   6,057,500 (4)   95.0%     5,392,000 (6)   26.0%  
Mohammad A. Khan   35,000     *     35,000     *  
Thomas A. Decker   35,000     *     35,000     *  
Celso L. White   35,000         35,000      
Armada Sponsor LLC   6,007,500     94.2%     5,342,000     25.8%  
All directors and executive officers as a group (five individuals)   6,212,500     97.5%     5,547,000     26.8%  

 

* Less than 1%.

 

(1) Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals and Armada Sponsor LLC is c/o Armada Acquisition Corp. I, 2005 Market Street, Suite 3120, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
(2) Assumes (i) no exercise of the over-allotment option and, therefore, the forfeiture of an aggregate of 1,125,000 shares of common stock and (ii) that none of the anchor investors purchase any units that may be allocated to them.
(3) Represents 50,000 shares of common stock held by Stephen P. Herbert directly and 6,007,500 shares held by Armada Sponsor LLC, our sponsor, of which Mr. Herbert and Douglas M. Lurio are managing members. Accordingly, all securities held by our sponsor may ultimately be deemed to be beneficially held by Mr. Herbert and Mr. Lurio.
(4) Represents 50,000 shares of common stock held by Douglas M. Lurio directly and 6,007,500 shares held by Armada Sponsor LLC, our sponsor, of which Mr. Lurio and Stephen P. Herbert are managing members. Accordingly, all securities held by our sponsor may ultimately be deemed to be beneficially held by Mr. Herbert and Mr. Lurio.
(5) Represents 50,000 shares of common stock held by Stephen P. Herbert directly and 5,342,000 shares held by Armada Sponsor LLC, our sponsor, of which Mr. Herbert and Douglas M. Lurio are managing members. Accordingly, all securities held by our sponsor may ultimately be deemed to be beneficially held by Mr. Herbert and Mr. Lurio.
(6) Represents 50,000 shares of common stock held by Douglas M. Lurio directly and 5,342,000 shares held by Armada Sponsor LLC, our sponsor, of which Mr. Lurio and Stephen P. Herbert are managing members. Accordingly, all securities held by our sponsor may ultimately be deemed to be beneficially held by Mr. Herbert and Mr. Lurio.

 

Expressions of Interest

Up to 10 qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or any other anchor investor), have each expressed an interest to purchase up to 9.9% of the units sold in this offering (excluding any units sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), or 1,485,000 units. We do not expect that all of the anchor investors will be allocated the full 9.9% of the units to be sold, and such allocations will be determined by the underwriters. There is also no guarantee that all anchor investors will participate in the offering. Subject to each anchor investor purchasing 100% of the units allocated to it, in connection with the closing of this offering our sponsor will sell membership interests reflecting an allocation of 131,250 founder shares to each anchor investor, or an aggregate of 1,312,500 founder shares to all 10 anchor investors, at a purchase price of $0.006 per share. The obligation of our sponsor to sell such membership interests to each anchor investor is conditioned upon each such anchor investor purchasing all of the units in this offering, if any, it may be offered by the underwriters (which shall not exceed 9.9% of the units in this offering). However, the anchor investors’ interest in the allocated founder shares will not be reduced if the underwriters allocate the anchor investors less than 9.9% of the units sold in this offering (excluding any units sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). Further, the founder shares to be indirectly owned by the anchor investors will not be subject to forfeiture, transfer, exchange, clawback or ear-outs for any reason, including as a part of negotiating a business combination. The negotiations between our sponsor and each anchor investor were separate and there are no arrangements or understandings among the anchor investors with regard to voting, including voting with respect to our initial business combination.

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Unlike some anchor investor arrangements of other blank check companies, the anchor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, shares of common stock or warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any shares of common stock they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination.

There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. In the event that the anchor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after), continue to own units or shares at the time of the stockholder vote, and vote in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination.

 

Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private shares

 

Immediately after this offering, our sponsor will beneficially own approximately 28.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming it does not purchase any units offered by this prospectus). None of our sponsor, officers, or directors has indicated to us that it or they intend to purchase our securities in the offering. Because of the ownership block held by our sponsor, officers, or directors , such individuals may be able to effectively exercise influence over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.

 

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If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, up to 1,125,000 founder shares will be forfeited. Our sponsor will be required to forfeit only a number of shares of common stock necessary to maintain the initial stockholders’ 28% ownership interest in our shares of common stock after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering.

 

All of the founder shares outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until 180 days after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Up to 1,125,000 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

 

During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except for transfers, assignments or sales (i) among such holders or to such holders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares.

 

Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 459,500 private shares at a price of $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,000. The initial purchasers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private shares (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founder shares may be transferred as described above) until after the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private shares will likely be worthless.

 

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be non-interest bearing and be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share. The shares would be identical to the private shares. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

 

Our executive officers and our sponsor are our “promoters,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws.

 

 

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CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

 

In February 2021, we issued 4,312,500 shares of common stock to our sponsor for $25,000 in cash, at a purchase price of approximately $0.006 per share, in connection with our organization. On June 16, 2021, our sponsor purchased an additional 700,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 5,012,500 founder shares. On June 16, 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Herbert and Lurio and 35,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Khan, Decker and White. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor purchased an additional 1,200,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,007,500 shares of common stock. If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their over-allotment option, our sponsor will forfeit up to an aggregate of 1,125,000 shares of common stock in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that was not exercised. Additionally, upon consummation of our initial business combination, our sponsor will sell founder shares to each anchor investor that purchases the full number of units allocated to it in this offering. Each anchor investor has agreed that if it does not purchase the units allocated to such anchor investor in this offering, it will not have any rights to purchase such founder shares from our sponsor.

 

Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 459,500 private shares at a price of $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,000. The initial purchasers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private shares (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founder shares may be transferred as described above) until after the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private shares will likely be worthless.

 

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be non-interest bearing and be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share. The shares would be identical to the private shares. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

 

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private shares and any shares of common stock our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founder shares and private shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

 

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As of March 31, 2021, our sponsor has loaned us $107,352 under the $300,000 promissory note to cover expenses related to this offering. We intend to repay the loan from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private shares not being placed in trust upon consummation of this offering. Our sponsor has agreed that, commencing on the effective date of this prospectus through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or the liquidation of the trust account, it will make available to us certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from time to time. We have agreed to pay $10,000 per month for these services. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that these fees are at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.

 

Pursuant to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination). In order to effectuate such extension, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon ten days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $1,500,000, or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, or $0.10 per share. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan made no later than three business days prior to the 15-month anniversary of this offering. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete a business combination, such loans will not be repaid.

 

We have entered into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

We may also pay consulting, finder or success fees to our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates for assisting us in consummating our initial business combination with such fee to be determined in an arms’ length negotiation based on the terms of the business combination.

 

Other than the payments to CCM, the $10,000 per month administrative fee, the payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination and repayment of the up to $300,000 loan, no compensation or fees of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of consulting, success or finder fees payable by us upon consummation of an initial business combination. Additionally, there is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.

 

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

 

All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.

 

Related Party Policy

 

Our Code of Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.

 

Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

 

 

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These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.

 

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors.

 

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

General

 

As of the date of this prospectus, we will be authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001. As of the date of this prospectus, 6,375,000 shares of common stock are outstanding. No shares of preferred stock are currently outstanding. The following description summarizes the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you. For a complete description you should refer to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, bylaws and the form of warrant agreement, which are filed as exhibits to our registration statement, and to the applicable provisions of Delaware law.

 

Units

 

Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock. The shares of common stock and warrants will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless the representative informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided that in no event may the shares of 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 of this offering and the sale of the private shares. Once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces.

 

We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet promptly upon the consummation of this offering. The audited balance sheet will reflect proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. We will also include in this Form 8-K, an amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K information indicating if the representative has allowed separate trading of the shares of common stock and warrants prior to the 90th day after the date of this prospectus.

 

Common Stock

 

Our stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. In connection with any vote held to approve our initial business combination, our sponsor, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to this offering and any shares purchased in this offering or following this offering in the open market in favor of the proposed business combination.

 

 

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We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, solely if a vote is held to approve a business combination, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

 

Our board of directors is 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 eligible to vote for the election of directors can elect all of the directors.

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we do not consummate an initial business combination by 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination) from the closing of this offering, our corporate existence will cease except for the purposes of winding up our affairs and liquidating. If we are forced to liquidate prior to an initial business combination, our public stockholders are entitled to share ratably in the trust account, based on the amount then held in the trust account.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account occurring upon our failure to consummate an initial business combination with respect to the founder shares and private shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors will therefore not participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account with respect to such shares. They will, however, participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account with respect to any shares of common stock acquired in, or following, this offering.

 

Our stockholders have no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights and there are no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to the shares of common stock, except that public stockholders have the right to sell their shares to us in a tender offer or have their shares of common stock redeemed for cash equal to their pro rata share of the trust account in connection with the consummation of our business combination. Public stockholders who sell or redeem their stock into their share of the trust account still have the right to exercise the warrants that they received as part of the units.

 

Preferred Stock

 

There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock which participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which votes as a class with the common stock on a business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect a business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. 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.

 

Warrants

 

No warrants are currently outstanding. Each warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of an initial business combination. However, no warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. We have registered the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC as soon as practicable after the business combination a post-effective amendment to our registration statement or a new registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 90 days following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. In the event of such cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose will mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 5 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. The warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

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We may call the warrants for redemption, in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant,

 

  at any time after the warrants become exercisable,

 

  upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder,

 

  if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the shares of common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations), for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders; and

 

  if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.

 

The right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption. On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for such holder’s warrant upon surrender of such warrant.

 

The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of 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 such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 5 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.

 

The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval, by written consent or vote, of the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

 

The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices.

 

In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of common stock 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 of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance), (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 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 greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities.

 

 

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The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of shares of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

 

Warrant holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% of the shares of common stock outstanding.

 

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 the number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

 

We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors—Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.

 

Dividends

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

 

The transfer agent for our securities and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, New York, New York 10004.

 

Listing of our Securities

 

Our units have been approved for listing on Nasdaq under the symbol “AACIU”. Following the date our common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, our common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “AACI,” and “AACIW,” respectively.

 

 

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Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws

 

Staggered board of directors

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors is classified into three classes of directors of approximately equal size. 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.

 

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 president or by our chairman or by our secretary at the request in writing of stockholders owning a majority of our issued and outstanding capital stock entitled to vote.

 

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 must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 60th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the scheduled date of the annual meeting of stockholders. In the event that less than 70 days’ notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting of stockholders is given, a stockholder’s notice shall be timely if delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of our annual meeting of stockholders is first made or sent by us. 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.

 

Authorized but unissued shares

 

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved 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 Selection

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar 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. 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 and therefore bring a claim in another appropriate forum. Additionally, 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 amended and restated 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.

 

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. 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.

 

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors and officers 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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us 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.

 

We have entered into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also 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 indemnification. We have purchased a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our directors and officers against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify the directors and officers.

 

These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, 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 directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions. We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced directors and officers.

 

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.

 

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

 

Immediately after this offering, we will have 20,709,500 shares of common stock outstanding, or 23,625,000 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 15,000,000 shares sold in this offering, or 17,250,000 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. All of those shares (other than the EBC shares and the private shares) have been placed in escrow and will not be transferable until they are released except in limited circumstances described elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

Rule 144

 

A person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of 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. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or 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 a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

 

  1% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding, which will equal 207,095 immediately after this offering (or 236,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and

 

 

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  the average weekly trading volume of the shares of common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

 

Sales 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

 

Historically, the SEC staff had taken the position that Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, blank check companies, like us. The SEC has codified and expanded this position in the amendments discussed above by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by any shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, if the following conditions are met:

 

  the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

 

  the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

 

  the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and

 

  at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

 

As a result, it is likely that pursuant to Rule 144, our sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares freely without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination assuming it is not an affiliate of ours at that time.

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of the founder shares, private shares, EBC shares and shares of common stock issued to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities (excluding EBC shares) are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private shares and shares of common stock issued to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following discussion summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one share of our common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant) that are purchased in this offering by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). Because the components of a unit are generally separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying share of our common stock and one-half of one warrant components of the unit. As a result, the discussion below with respect to holders of shares of our common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying share of our common stock and warrants that constitute the units).

 

 

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This discussion is limited to certain U.S. federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221(a) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) (generally, property held for investment). This discussion assumes that the shares of our common stock and warrants will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on the shares of our common stock and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars. This discussion is a summary only and does not consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances or that is subject to special rules under the U.S. federal income tax laws, including, but not limited to:

 

  our sponsor, officers, directors or other holders of our common stock;

 

  banks and other financial institutions or financial services entities;

 

  broker-dealers;

 

  mutual funds;

 

  retirement plans, individual retirement accounts or other tax-deferred accounts;

 

  taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market tax accounting rules;

 

  tax-exempt entities;

 

  S-corporations, partnerships or other flow-through entities and investors therein;

 

  governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;

 

  insurance companies;

 

  regulated investment companies;

 

  real estate investment trusts;

 

  passive foreign investment companies;

 

  controlled foreign corporations;

 

  qualified foreign pension funds;

 

  expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;

 

  persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares;

 

  persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation or in connection with services;

 

  persons required for U.S. federal income tax purposes to conform the timing of income accruals to their financial statements under Section 451 of the Code;

 

  persons subject to the alternative minimum tax;

 

  persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedging, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction; or

 

  U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar.

 

The discussion below is based upon current provisions of the Code, applicable U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated under the Code (“Treasury Regulations”), judicial decisions and administrative rulings of the IRS, all as in effect on the date hereof, and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or change, possibly on a retroactive basis. Any such differing interpretations or change could alter the U.S. federal income tax consequences discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address any aspect of U.S. federal non-income tax laws, such as gift, estate or Medicare contribution tax laws, or state, local or non-U.S. tax laws.

 

 

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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.

 

As used herein, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of units, shares of our common stock or warrants that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source or (iv) a trust if (A) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) it has in effect a valid election under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

 

This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of partnerships or other pass-through entities (including branches) or persons who hold our securities through such entities. If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partner and the partnership. If you are a partner or a partnership holding our securities, we urge you to consult your own tax advisor.

 

THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR UNITS. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR UNITS IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR UNITS, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-UNITED STATES TAX LAWS

 

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 (a “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 as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor 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 common stock and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to acquire one share of our common stock, and we intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner. 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 our 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 its own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult its tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of our common stock and one-half of one warrant should constitute the holder’s initial tax basis in such share and one-half of one warrant, respectively. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of our common stock and one-half of one warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the share of our common stock and one-half of one warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition. Neither the separation of the share of our common stock and the one-half of one warrant constituting a unit nor the combination of halves of warrants into a single warrant should be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

 

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The foregoing treatment of the shares of our common stock and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

  

U.S. Holders

 

Taxation of Distributions

 

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 our common stock, such distributions 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 shares of our common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the shares of our common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock and Warrants” below.

 

Dividends we pay to a corporate U.S. Holder generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if certain holding period requirements are met. 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 will generally be taxed as qualified dividend income at the preferential tax rate for long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the shares of our common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the 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 met, 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 Our Common Stock and Warrants

 

A U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on a sale or other taxable disposition of our shares of common stock or warrants (including on our dissolution and liquidation if we do not complete an initial business combination within the required time period). Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such shares of our common stock or warrants exceeds one year. Long-term capital gains recognized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder are currently eligible to be taxed preferential rates. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights 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 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 would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

 

The amount of gain or loss recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition generally will be equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the shares of our 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 shares of our common stock or warrants based upon the then relative fair market values of the shares of our common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock and warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of our common stock or one-half of one warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) reduced, in the case of a share of our common stock, by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. See “U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in a share of our common stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant.

 

 

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Redemption of Our Common Stock

 

In the event that a U.S. Holder’s shares of our common stock are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s shares of our common stock in an open market transaction (each referred to herein as a “redemption”), the treatment of the redemption for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether it qualifies as a sale or exchange of the shares of our common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale or exchange of the shares of our common stock under the tests described below, 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 Our Common Stock and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale or exchange of the shares of our 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 or exchange treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after such redemption. The redemption of our common stock generally will be treated as a sale or exchange of the shares of our common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if, within the meaning of Section 302 of the Code, such redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder.

 

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder must take into account not only shares of our 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 shares of our 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 shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of shares of our 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. Prior to our initial business combination, the shares of our common stock may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other shares of our stock. The redemption of the shares of our common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to a U.S. Holder if it results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority 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 are satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “U.S. Holders— Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed shares of our common stock will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other 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 gain or loss upon the acquisition of a share of our common stock on the exercise of a warrant for cash. A U.S. Holder’s initial tax basis in a share of our common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (that is, the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrant. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the share of our common stock received upon exercise of the warrants will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.

 

The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current law. A cashless exercise may not be taxable, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a “recapitalization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the shares of our common stock received generally would equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were not a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our common stock will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the shares of our common stock would include the holding period of the warrants exercised therefor.

 

 

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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 value (as measured by the excess of the fair market value of our common stock over the exercise price of the warrants) equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised (i.e., the warrants underlying the number of shares of our common stock actually received by the U.S. Holder pursuant to the cashless exercise). The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the value 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 common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the 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.

 

Alternative characterizations are also possible (including as a taxable exchange of all of the warrants surrendered by the U.S. Holder for shares of our common stock received upon exercise). 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 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.

 

If we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “U.S. Holders— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock and Warrants.”

 

Possible Constructive Distributions

 

The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of our 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 — Warrants.” Depending on the circumstances, such adjustments may be treated as constructive distributions. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution pursuant to a bona fide reasonable adjustment formula generally is not taxable. The U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of our common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a taxable distribution of cash or other property to the holders of shares of our common stock. Any such constructive distribution would generally be subject to tax as described under “U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions” above 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.

 

Non-U.S. Holders

 

This section applies to “Non-U.S. Holders.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, common stock or warrants that is not a U.S. Holder and is not a partnership or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but such term generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.

 

Taxation of Distributions

 

In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a Non-U.S. Holder of shares of our 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. Provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or, if required pursuant to an applicable income tax treaty, are not attributable to a permanent establishment of fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in 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, as applicable). 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 sale 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 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 shares of our common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are or are likely to be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, including a distribution in redemption of shares of our common stock. See also “Non-U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” for potential U.S. federal tax consequences with respect to constructive distributions.

 

 

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Dividends that we pay to a Non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if a tax treaty applies, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States) will not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such Non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax as if the Non-U.S. Holder were a U.S. resident, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).

 

Exercise, Lapse 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 below under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock and Warrants.” The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. Holder of a redemption of warrants for cash (or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction) would be similar to that described below in “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock and Warrants.”

 

Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock and Warrants

 

Subject to the discussion of FATCA and backup withholding below, 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 shares of our common stock (including upon a dissolution and liquidation if we do not complete an initial business combination within the required time period) or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether such securities were held as part of a unit, unless:

 

  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 permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the United States); or

 

  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 common stock, and, in the case where shares of our 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 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 for the shares of our common stock. There can be no assurance that our common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose. These rules may be modified for Non-U.S. Holders of warrants. If we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” and you own warrants, you are urged to consult your own tax advisor regarding the application of these rules.

 

Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will generally be subject to tax at the applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. Holder were a U.S. 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 common stock or warrants will generally be subject to tax at applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. Holder were a U.S. resident. In addition, a buyer of our 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. In general, we would 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% 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 Our Common Stock

 

The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. Holder’s shares of our common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Common Stock” will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s shares of our common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Our 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 Our Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.

 

 

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Possible Constructive Distributions

 

The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of our 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 — Warrants.” Depending on the circumstances, such adjustments may be treated as constructive distributions. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution pursuant to a bona fide reasonable adjustment formula 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 increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of our common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a taxable distribution of cash or other property to the holders of shares of our common stock. Any such constructive distribution would generally be taxed as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above, 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

 

Dividend payments (including constructive dividends) with respect to our common stock and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of shares of our common stock or warrants may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to payments made to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. Payments made to a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to backup withholding if the Non-U.S. Holder provides certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information. All 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 to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding of 30% in certain circumstances on payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) and, subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below, on proceeds from sales or other disposition of our securities paid to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied or an exemption applies (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). If FATCA withholding is imposed, a beneficial owner that is not a foreign financial institution will be entitled to a refund of any amounts withheld by filing a U.S. federal income tax return (which may entail significant administrative burden). Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Similarly, dividends and, subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below, proceeds from sales or other disposition in respect of our units held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions generally will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has proposed regulations which eliminate the federal withholding tax of 30% applicable to the gross proceeds of a sale or other disposition of our securities. Withholding agents may rely on the proposed Treasury Regulations until final regulations are issued. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible effects of FATCA on their investment in our securities.

 

THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX DISCUSSION SET FORTH ABOVE IS INCLUDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE DEPENDING UPON A HOLDER’S PARTICULAR SITUATION. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND WARRANTS, INCLUDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES UNDER STATE, LOCAL, ESTATE, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES AND THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN U.S. OR OTHER TAX LAWS.

 

 

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UNDERWRITING

 

We are offering the units described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. Northland Securities, Inc. is acting as representative of the underwriters. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with the representative. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will agree to purchase, and we will agree to sell to the underwriters, the number of units listed next to each of its name in the following table:

 

Underwriter   Number of
Units
 
Northland Securities, Inc.   14,950,000  
B. Riley Securities   50,000  
Total     15,000,000  
         

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters must buy all of the units if they buy any of them. However, the underwriters are not required to purchase the units covered by the option to purchase additional units as described below.

 

Our units are offered subject to a number of conditions, including:

 

  receipt and acceptance of our units by the underwriters; and

 

  the underwriters’ right to reject orders in whole or in part.

 

In connection with this offering, the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses electronically.

 

Option to Purchase Additional Units

 

We have granted the underwriters an over-allotment option to buy up to an aggregate of 2,250,000 additional units. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.

 

Underwriting Discount

 

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial 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 of up to $0.10 per unit from the initial public offering price and the dealers may reallow a concession not in excess of $0.10 per unit to other dealers. Sales of units made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters. After completion of this offering, if the underwriters still hold any units sold by us to them in this offering, the representative may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the units at the prices and upon the terms stated therein.

 

The following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discount we will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional units.

 

    No Exercise     Full Exercise  
Per Unit   $ 0.10     $ 0.10  
Total   $ 1,500,000     $ 1,725,000(1)  

 

 

(1) Includes $0.10 per unit, or $225,000 in the aggregate, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in the trust account. The deferred commissions will be released to the representative of the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus.

 

We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, not including the underwriting discount, will be approximately $2,000,000. We have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees, including legal fees of the representative’s counsel, not to exceed $15,000, the expenses of transaction “bibles” and lucite cube “mementos,” not to exceed $3,000, the expenses of investigations and background checks, not to exceed $3,000 per individual or $15,000 in the aggregate, all of which are included in the total estimated offering expenses of $2,000,000.

 

We engaged CCM, an affiliate of a member of our sponsor, to provide consulting and advisory services in connection with this offering, for which it will receive an advisory fee equal to one (1.0) percent of the aggregate proceeds of this offering net of underwriter’s expenses. Affiliates of CCM have and manage investment vehicles with a passive investment in the sponsor. CCM has agreed to defer the portion of its fee resulting from exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option until the consummation of our initial business combination. CCM is engaged to represent our interests only and is not participating in this offering as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(16); it is acting as an independent financial adviser as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(9). As such, CCM is not acting as an underwriter in connection with this offering, it will not identify or solicit potential investors in this offering or otherwise be involved in the distribution of this offering. We will also engage CCM as an advisor in connection with our initial business combination for which it will earn an advisory fee of 2.25% of the IPO proceeds paid at closing of the business combination.

 

 

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Business Combination Marketing Agreement

 

We will engage the representative as an advisor in connection with our business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our stockholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in connection with our initial business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay the representative a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to 2.25% of the gross proceeds of this offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable). We will also pay the representative a separate capital market advisory fee of $2,500,000 upon completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, we will pay the representative a cash fee equal to 1.0% of the total consideration payable in the proposed business combination if the representative introduces us to the target business with which we complete a business combination; provided that the foregoing fee will not be paid prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110.

 

EBC Shares

 

On February 8, 2021, we issued 162,500 shares of common stock to EBC and its designees and 87,500 shares of common stock to Northland for an aggregate purchase price of $25.00, or $.0001 per share. On May 29, 2021, Northland returned the 87,500 shares of common stock to us, for no consideration, which were subsequently cancelled. These shares 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 this prospectus pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1). Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be sold during the 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 date of this prospectus 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 EBC and its designees certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination; provided that they may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the date of this prospectus.

 

 

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Right of First Refusal

 

We have granted the representative a right of first refusal for a period commencing from the consummation of this offering until the consummation of our initial business combination (or the liquidation of the trust account in the event that we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the prescribed time period) to act as book running manager, placement agent and/or arranger for all financings where we seek to raise equity, equity-linked, debt or mezzanine financings relating to or in connection with a business combination.

 

Indemnification

 

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we have agreed to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

 

Nasdaq Listing

 

Our units have been approved for listing on Nasdaq under the symbol “AACIU” and, once our common stock and warrants begin separate trading, they will trade under the symbols “AACI” and “AACIW,” respectively.

 

Price Stabilization, Short Positions

 

In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of units during and after this offering, including:

 

  stabilizing transactions;

 

  short sales;

 

  purchases to cover positions created by short sales;

 

  imposition of penalty bids; and

 

  syndicate covering transactions.

 

Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units while this offering is in progress. Stabilization transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. These transactions may also include making short sales of our units, which involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in this offering and purchasing units on the open market to cover short positions created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered short sales,” which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units referred to above, or may be “naked short sales,” which are short positions in excess of that amount.

 

The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing units in the open market. In making this determination, 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.

 

Naked short sales are short sales made in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchased in this offering.

 

The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the representatives of the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased units sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

 

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These stabilizing transactions, short sales, purchases to cover positions created by short sales, the imposition of penalty bids and syndicate covering transactions may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result of these activities, the price of our units may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The underwriters may carry out these transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the units. Neither we, nor the underwriters, make any representation that the underwriter will engage in these stabilization transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

 

Determination of Offering Price

 

Prior to this offering, there was no public market for our units. The initial public offering price was determined by negotiation between us and the representatives of the underwriters. The principal factors to be considered in determining the initial public offering price include:

 

  the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the representative;

 

  our history and prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete;

 

  our past and present financial performance;

 

  our prospects for future earnings and the present state of our development;

 

  the general condition of the securities market at the time of this offering;

 

  the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded units of generally comparable companies; and

 

  other factors deemed relevant by the underwriters and us.

 

Neither we nor the underwriters can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our units, warrants or common stock or that the units will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.

 

Affiliations

 

The underwriters and their affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and their affiliates may from time to time in the future engage with us and perform services for us or in the ordinary course of their business for which they will receive customary fees and expenses. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of us. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of these securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in these securities and instruments.

 

Additional Future Arrangements

 

Except as described above, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering and have no present intent to do so. 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 underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to any underwriter prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering.

 

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Electronic Distribution

 

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites or through other online services maintained by the underwriters participating in this offering, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of units for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of the prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

 

Selling Restrictions

 

Canada

 

Resale Restrictions

 

We intend to distribute our securities in the Province of Ontario, Canada (the “Canadian Offering Jurisdiction”) by way of a private placement and exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in such Canadian Offering Jurisdiction. Any resale of our securities in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws that will vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Canadian resale restrictions in some circumstances may apply to resales of interests made outside of Canada. Canadian purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of our securities. We may never be a “reporting issuer”, as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation, in any province or territory of Canada in which our securities will be offered and there currently is no public market for any of the securities in Canada, and one may never develop. Canadian investors are advised that we have no intention to file a prospectus or similar document with any securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the resale of the securities to the public in any province or territory in Canada.

 

Representations of Purchasers

 

A Canadian purchaser will be required to represent to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

 

  the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase our securities without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws;

 

  where required by law, that the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent;

 

  the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions; and

 

  the purchaser acknowledges and consents to the provision of specified information concerning its purchase of our securities to the regulatory authority that by law is entitled to collect the information.

 

Rights of Action — Ontario Purchasers Only

 

Under Ontario securities legislation, certain purchasers who purchase a security offered by this prospectus during the period of distribution will have a statutory right of action for damages, or while still the owner of our securities, for rescission against us in the event that this prospectus contains a misrepresentation without regard to whether the purchaser relied on the misrepresentation. The right of action for damages is exercisable not later than the earlier of 180 days from the date the purchaser first had knowledge of the facts giving rise to the cause of action and three years from the date on which payment is made for our securities. The right of action for rescission is exercisable not later than 180 days from the date on which payment is made for our securities. If a purchaser elects to exercise the right of action for rescission, the purchaser will have no right of action for damages against us. In no case will the amount recoverable in any action exceed the price at which our securities were offered to the purchaser and if the purchaser is shown to have purchased the securities with knowledge of the misrepresentation, we will have no liability. In the case of an action for damages, we will not be liable for all or any portion of the damages that are proven to not represent the depreciation in value of our securities as a result of the misrepresentation relied upon. These rights are in addition to, and without derogation from, any other rights or remedies available at law to an Ontario purchaser. The foregoing is a summary of the rights available to an Ontario purchaser. Ontario purchasers should refer to the complete text of the relevant statutory provisions.

 

 

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Enforcement of Legal Rights

 

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All of our assets and the assets of those persons are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

 

Collection of Personal Information

 

If a Canadian purchaser is resident in or otherwise subject to the securities laws of the Province of Ontario, the Purchaser authorizes the indirect collection of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser by the Ontario Securities Commission (the “OSC”) and each Canadian purchaser will be required to acknowledge and agree that the Canadian purchaser has been notified by us (i) of the delivery to the OSC of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser, including, without limitation, the full name, residential address and telephone number of the Canadian purchaser, the number and type of securities purchased and the total purchase price paid in respect of the securities, (ii) that this information is being collected indirectly by the OSC under the authority granted to it in securities legislation, (iii) that this information is being collected for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of the securities legislation of Ontario, and (iv) that the title, business address and business telephone number of the public official in Ontario who can answer questions about the OSC’s indirect collection of the information is the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Corporate Finance, the Ontario Securities Commission, Suite 1903, Box 5520, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3S8, Telephone: (416) 593-8086, Facsimile: (416) 593-8252.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

 

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”) and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.

 

Any offer in Australia of the shares may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the shares without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

 

The shares applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring shares must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.

 

This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

 

 

100

 

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

 

This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The shares to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the shares offered should conduct their own due diligence on the shares. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

 

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 Regulation (each, a “relevant member state”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Regulation 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 Regulation, 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:

  to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation;

 

  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 Regulation), as permitted under the Prospectus Regulation, 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

 

  in any other circumstances that do not require the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation.

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 Regulation.

For the purpose of this provision, the expression an “offer 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 Regulation in that member state, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the PD 2010 Amending Directive to the extent implemented by the relevant member state) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state, and the expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities 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.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

 

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

 

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company or the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of shares has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares.

 

 

101

 

 

 

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 (all such persons together 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 or by the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. 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:

 

  released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or

 

  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:

 

  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, Article 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;

 

  to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or

 

  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 Autorité des Marchés Financiers, 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), (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.

 

102

 

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

 

The units have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

 

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 that is:

 

  a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 14A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor, or

 

  a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who 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:

 

  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 S$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;

 

  where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or

 

  where the transfer is by operation of law.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York is acting as our 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 offering. Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statements of Armada Acquisition Corp. I at February 8, 2021 and for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through February 8, 2021 included 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 Armada Acquisition Corp. I 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 upon such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

103

 

 

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.

 

 

104

 

  

 

ARMADA ACQUISITION CORP. I
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

   

Page

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   F-2
Financial Statements:    
Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2021 (unaudited), and February 8, 2021 (audited)   F-3
Statements of Operations for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021 (unaudited) and November 5, 2020 (inception) through February 8, 2021 (audited)   F-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through February 8, 2021 (audited)   F-5
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021 (unaudited)   F-5
Statements of Cash Flows for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021 (unaudited) and November 5, 2020 (inception) through February 8, 2021 (audited)   F-6
Notes to Financial Statements   F-7

 

 

F-1

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Stockholder and Board of Directors of

Armada Acquisition Corp. I

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Armada Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) as of February 8, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through February 8, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of February 8, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through February 8, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of February 8, 2021, 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 in regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

 

/s/ Marcum llp

 

Marcum llp

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

 

 

New York, NY

March 1, 2021, except for Notes 1, 4, 6 and 8, as to which the date is July 2, 2021, and except for Note 5 and paragraph 4 of Note 8, as to which the date is August 3, 2021.

 

 

F-2

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I
BALANCE SHEETS

 

   March 31, 2021  February 8, 2021
    (unaudited)      
Assets          
Cash  $62,610   $1,937 
Prepaid expenses   4,214    —   
Deferred offering costs   68,489    30,000 
Total Assets  $135,313   $31,937 
Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity          
Current liabilities:          
Accrued offering costs and expenses  $5,400   $—   
Due to related party   —      391 
Promissory note-related party   107,352    7,000 
Total current liabilities   112,752    7,391 
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6)          
Stockholders’ Equity:          
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and  February 8, 2021   —      —   
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 4,562,500 shares issued and outstanding(1) as of March 31, 2021 and February 8, 2021   456    456 
Additional paid-in capital   24,544    24,544 
Accumulated deficit   (2,439)   (454)
Total stockholders’ equity   22,561    24.546 
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity  $135,313   $31,937 

 

(1) Includes up to 562,500 shares 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.

 

F-3

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

  

For the Period from

November 5, 2020 (inception) through

March 31, 2021

 

For the Period from

November 5, 2020 (inception) through

February 8, 2021

   (unaudited)   
       
Formation costs   $2,439   $454 
Net loss   $(2,439)  $(454)
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding(1)  4,000,000    4,000,000 
Basic and diluted net loss per common share  $(0.00)  $(0.00)

 

  (1) Excludes an aggregate of up to 562,500 shares 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.

 

F-4

 

 

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

   Common Stock  Additional
Paid-in
  Accumulated  Total
Stockholder’s
   Shares (1)  Amount  Capital  Deficit  Equity
Balance as of November 5, 2020 (inception)   —     $—     $—     $—     $—   
Common Stocks issued to Sponsor   4,312,500    431    24,569    —      25,000 
Issuance of Representative Shares   250,000    25    (25)        —   
Net loss   —      —      —      (454)   (454)
Balance as of February 8, 2021 (audited)   4,562,500    456    24,544    (454)   24,546 
                          
  (1) Includes 562,500 shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).

 

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

   Common Stock  Additional
Paid-in
  Accumulated  Total
Stockholders’
   Shares (1)  Amount  Capital  Deficit  Equity
Balance as of November 5, 2020 (inception)   —     $—     $—     $—     $—   
Common Stocks issued to Sponsor   4,312,500    431    24,569    —      25,000 
Issuance of Representative Shares   250,000    25    (25)        —   
Net loss   —      —      —      (2,439)   (2,439)
Balance as of March 31, 2021   4,562,500   $456   $24,544   $(2,439)  $22,561 
                          

 

  (1) Includes 562,500 shares 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.

 

 

F-5

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

 

 

 

For the Period from

November 5, 2020 (inception) through

March 31, 2021

 

For the Period from

November 5, 2020 (inception) through

February 8, 2021

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:   (unaudited)   
Net loss  $(2,439)  $(454)
Formation costs paid by related party   391    391 
Amortization of prepaid expenses   1,187    —   
Net cash used in operating activities   (861)   (63)
           
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:          
Proceeds from issuance of founder shares   25,000    25,000 
Proceeds from issuance of promissory note to related party   107,352    7,000 
Payment of advances from related party   (392)   —   
Payment of deferred offering costs   (68,489)   (30,000)
Net cash provided by financing activities   63,471    2,000 
           
Net change in cash   62,610    1,937 
           
Cash, November 5, 2020 (inception)   —      —   
Cash, end of the period  $62,610   $1,937 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-6

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Note 1 — Organization, Business Operation and Going Concern

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation on November 5, 2020. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company has not selected any specific Business Combination target and the Company has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target with respect to the Business Combination. The Company intends to concentrate its efforts identifying businesses in the financial services industry with particular emphasis on businesses that are providing or changing technology for traditional financial services.

 

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below).

 

The Company has selected September 30 as its fiscal year end. 

 

The Company’s sponsor is Armada Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering of 15,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (the “Units”) (or 17,250,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Proposed Public Offering”), and the sale of 459,500 shares of common stock (“Private Shares”), at a price of $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of 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 Private Shares, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination.

 

The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (as defined below) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.

 

Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds of the Private Shares, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), and will invest only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in 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. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to the Company to pay income tax obligations, the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Shares will not be released from the Trust Account until the earlier of the completion of a Business Combination or the Company’s redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if it has not completed a Business Combination in the required time period The proceeds held in the Trust Account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which the Company completes a Business Combination. Any amounts not paid as consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to finance operations of the target business.

 

F-7

 

 

In connection with any proposed Business Combination, the Company will either (1) seek stockholders approval of the initial Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed Business Combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide its stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to the Company by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholders approval of a proposed Business Combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to the Company in a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion.

 

The shares of Common Stock subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.

 

The Company will have 15 months (or 18 months if extended) from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete the initial Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company but net of taxes payable ( and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

The Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (i) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed Business Combination, (ii) not to convert any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial Business Combination or sell any shares to the Company in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (iii) that the founders’ shares will not participate in any liquidating distributions from the Company’s Trust Account upon winding up if a Business Combination is not consummated.

 

The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the Trust Account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by the Company for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to the Company. The agreement to be entered into by the Sponsor will specifically provide for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, the Company has not asked its Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has it independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company believes it is unlikely that the Sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so.

 

Going Concern Consideration

 

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had cash of $62,610 and a working capital deficit of $ 45,929 (excluding deferred offering costs). 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. 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.

 

F-8

 

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

 

Emerging Growth Company Status

 

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart the Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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 US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

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 had $62,610 and $1,937 cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2021 and February 8, 2021, respectively.

 

Deferred Offering Costs

 

Deferred offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to stockholders’ 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.

 

F-9

 

Allocation of Proceeds

 

FASB ASC 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, addresses the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt into its equity and debt components. The Company applies this guidance to allocate IPO proceeds from the Units between common stock and warrants, using the residual method by allocating IPO proceeds first to fair value of the warrants, if any, and then common stock. Any amount paid to investors represents a reduction in the proceeds to be allocated.

 

Net Loss Per Share

 

Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Common Stocks outstanding during the period, excluding Common Stocks subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 562,500 shares of Common Stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). At March 31, 2021 and February 8, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into Common Stocks and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.

 

ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition.

 

The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of March 31, 2021 and February 8, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.

 

The Company has identified the United States as its only “major” tax jurisdiction.

 

The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal and state taxing authorities in the areas of income taxes since inception. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with federal and state tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be immaterial for the period from November 5, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021.

 

Risks and Uncertainties

 

Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

 

F-10

 

 

Note 3 — Proposed Public Offering

 

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 15,000,000 Units, (or 17,250,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Common Stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.

 

The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, and will expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. (see Note 7)

 

Note 4 — Private Placement

 

The Company’s Sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 459,500 Private Shares, at a price of $10.00 per Private Share, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,595,500 in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, regardless of whether over-allotment is exercised or not. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Shares will be added to the proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and placed in a U.S.-based trust account. If the Company does not complete an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months if extended) from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Shares will be included in the liquidating distribution to our public stockholders and the private shares will be worthless.

 

Note 5 — Related Party Transactions

 

Founder Shares

 

On February 3, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.006 per share, to cover certain offering costs in consideration for 4,312,500 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 (the “Founder Shares”). Up to 562,500 Founder Shares were subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised. On June 16, 2021, the Sponsor purchased an additional 700,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share. On July 23, 2021, the Sponsor purchased an additional 1,200,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,007,500 shares of common stocks. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 shares 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 initial stockholders will continue to own 28% of the issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the initial stockholders do not purchase units in this offering).

 

The Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earliest of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the public stockholders having the right to exchange their public shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

Additionally, upon consummation of the Business Combination, the Sponsor will sell Founder Shares to anchor investors that expressed an interest in purchasing at least 9.9% of the units sold in the Proposed Public Offering. Subject to each anchor investor purchasing 100% of the units allocated to it, the Sponsor will sell membership interests in the Sponsor entity reflecting an allocation of 131,250 founder shares to each anchor investor, or an aggregate of 1,312,500 founder shares to all 10 anchor investors, at a purchase price of approximately $0.006 per share. The Company estimated the aggregate fair value of these founder shares attributable to anchor investors to be $424,491, or $3.23 per share. The Company will offset the excess of the fair value against the gross proceeds from these anchor investors as a reduction in its additional paid-in capital in accordance with ASC 470 and Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A.

 

Representative Common Stock

 

On February 8, 2021, EarlyBirdCapital and Northland purchased 162,500 and 87,500 representative shares, respectively, for an aggregate of 250,000 representative shares at an average purchase price of approximately $0.0001 per share, or $25.00. On May 29, 2021, Northland returned 87,500 shares of common stock to the Company, for no consideration, which were subsequently cancelled.

 

The representative shares are identical to the public shares included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the representative shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below.

 

F-11

 

 

The holders of the representative shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until 30 days after the completion of an initial business combination. In addition, the holders of the representative shares have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of an initial business combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months if extended) from the closing of this offering.

 

Promissory Note—Related Party

 

On February 3, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of October 31, 2021 or the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering out of the $2,000,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses. As of March 31, 2021 and February 8, 2021, the Company had drawn down $107,352 and $7,000, respectively, under the promissory notes.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In order to meet the Company’s working capital needs following the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering, the Sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds (“Working Capital Loans”), from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be non-interest bearing and be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of the initial Business Combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into shares at a price of $10.00 per share. The shares would be identical to the Private Shares. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment.

 

Administrative Service Fee

 

Commencing on the date of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will pay the Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial support. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Note 6 — Commitments & Contingencies

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of the founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of the Proposed Public Offering, as well as the holders of the representative shares, private shares and any shares the Company’s Sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of Working Capital Loans made to the Company (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering. The holders of a majority of these securities (other than the holders of the representative shares) are entitled to make up to two demands that the Company registers such securities. The holders of the majority of the founders’ shares and private shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private shares and shares issued to the Company’s Sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of Working Capital Loans made to the Company (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company consummates a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

F-12

 

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of 1.0% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full). The underwriters have agreed to defer the payment of the portion of the underwriting discount attributable to over-allotment option until the consummation of the initial Business Combination.

 

Business Combination Marketing Agreement 

 

The Company will engage the representative of the underwriter as an advisor in connection with business combination to assist in holding meetings with the Company’s stockholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Company’s securities in connection with the initial business combination and assist the Company with press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. The Company will pay the representative a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of the initial business combination in an amount equal to 2.25% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $3,375,000 ( or up to $3,881,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full). The Company will also pay the representative a separate capital market advisory fee of $2,500,000 upon completion of the initial business combination. Additionally, the Company will pay the representative a cash fee equal to 1.0% of the total consideration payable in the proposed business combination if the representative introduces the Company to the target business with which the Company completes a business combination; provided that the foregoing fee will not be paid prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110.

 

Right of First Refusal

 

If the Company determines to pursue any equity, equity-linked, debt or mezzanine financing relating to or in connection with an initial Business Combination, then Northland Securities, Inc. shall have the right, but not the obligation, to act as book running manager, placement agent and/or arranger, as the case may be, in any and all such financing or financings. This right of first refusal extends from the date of the Proposed Public Offering until the earlier of the consummation of an initial Business Combination or the liquidation of the Trust Account if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination during the required time period.

 

Financial Advisory Fee

 

The Company engaged Cohen & Company Capital Markets, a division of J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC (“CCM”), an affiliate of a member of the Sponsor, to provide consulting and advisory services in connection with this offering, for which it will receive an advisory fee equal to one (1.0) percent of the aggregate proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $1,500,000 (or up to $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full), net of underwriter’s expenses upon closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Affiliates of CCM have and manage investment vehicles with a passive investment in the Sponsor. CCM has agreed to defer the payment of the portion of the advisory fee attributable to over-allotment option until the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. CCM is engaged to represent the Company’s interests only. CCM is not participating in this offering as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(16); it is acting as an independent financial adviser as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(9). As such, CCM is not acting as an underwriter in connection with this offering, it will not identify or solicit potential investors in this offering or otherwise be involved in the distribution of this offering. The Company will also engage CCM as an advisor in connection with our initial business combination for which it will earn an advisory fee of 2.25% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $3,375,000 (or up to $3,881,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full), payable at closing of the Business Combination.

F-13

 

 

Note 7 — Stockholders’ Equity

 

Preferred stock—The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 and with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of March 31, 2021 and February 8, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

 

Common stock—The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. At March 31, 2021 and February 8, 2021, there were 4,562,500 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. On February 3, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.006 per share, to cover certain offering costs in consideration for 4,312,500 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 (the “Founder Shares”). On February 8, 2021, EarlyBirdCapital and Northland purchased 162,500 and 87,500 representative shares respectively for an aggregate of 250,000 representative shares at an average purchase price of approximately $0.0001 per share, or $25.00. Of the 4,562,500 shares of common stock, an aggregate of up to 562,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial stockholders will collectively own 28% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering.

 

On May 29, 2021, Northland returned 87,500 shares of common stock to the Company, for no consideration, which were subsequently cancelled and on June 16, 2021, the Sponsor purchased an additional 700,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 5,012,500 shares of common stock. On June 16, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 50,000 shares to its Chief Executive Officer and to its President and 35,000 shares to each of its three outside directors. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 shares 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 initial stockholders will collectively own 28% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (see Note 8). 

 

Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. In connection with any vote held to approve the initial Business Combination, the Sponsor, as well as all of the Company’s officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to the Proposed Public Offering and any shares purchased in the Proposed Public Offering or following the Proposed Public Offering in the open market in favor of the proposed Business Combination.

 

Warrants— No warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed herein. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination. However, no warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 90 days following the consummation of the initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. In the event of such cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose will mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 5 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. The warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of the completion of an initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

F-14

 

 

The Company may call the warrants for redemption, in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, in whole and not in part;
 
at any time after the warrants become exercisable,
 
upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder
 

 

if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations ) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders; and
 
if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.

 

If the Company calls the warrants for redemption as described above, the Company’s management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 5 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.

 

In addition, if (x) the Company issue additional shares of Common Stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founders’ shares held by them prior to such issuance), (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 the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) 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 greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which the Company issues the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities.

 

Note 8 — Subsequent Events

 

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued on July 2, 2021. Based upon this review, and other than the disclosure below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

On May 29, 2021, Northland returned 87,500 shares of common stock to the Company, for no consideration, which were subsequently cancelled.

 

On June 16, 2021, the Sponsor purchased an additional 700,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share. Upon further review of the proposed form of warrant agreement, management concluded that the Public Warrants to be issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.

 

On July 23, 2021, the Sponsor purchased an additional 1,200,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.006 per share, resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,007,500 shares of common stocks (“Founder Shares”). The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 shares 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 initial stockholders will continue to own 28% of the issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering.

 

 

 

F-15

 

 

 

 

 

15,000,000 Units

 

 

 

Armada Acquisition Corp. I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

August 12, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

 

Northland Capital Markets

 

 

Until September 6, 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our common stock, 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.