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Table of Contents
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
 
FORM 10-K
 
 
(Mark One)
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021
OR
 
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO
Commission File
Number: 001-40844
 
 
HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)
 
 
 
Delaware
 
86-2858172
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
P.O. Box 1314
New York, NY
 
10028
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (917)
703-2312
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
 
Title of each class
 
Trading
Symbol(s)
 
Name of each exchange
on which registered
Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and
one-half
of one Warrant
 
HPLTU
 
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
 
HPLT
 
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50
 
HPLTW
 
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of class)
 
 
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     YES  ☐    NO  ☒
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    YES  ☐    NO  ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    YES  ☒    NO  ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    YES  ☒    NO  ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated
filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company,” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
 
Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the
Sarbanes-Oxley
Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in
Rule 12b-2
of the Exchange Act).    YES      NO  ☐
The registrant was not a public company as of the last business day of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter and, therefore, cannot calculate the aggregate market value of its voting and
non-voting
common equity held by
non-affiliates
as of such date.
As of March 14, 2022, there were 20,000,000 shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock and 5,000,000 shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock issues and outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None.
 
 
 

Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
         
Page
 
PART I
     
Item 1.
   Business      4  
Item 1A.
   Risk Factors      23  
Item 1B.
   Unresolved Staff Comments      60  
Item 2.
   Properties      60  
Item 3.
   Legal Proceedings      60  
Item 4.
   Mine Safety Disclosures      60  
PART II
     
Item 5.
   Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities      61  
Item 6.
   [Reserved]      62  
Item 7.
   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      62  
Item 7A.
   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk      66  
Item 8.
   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data      66  
Item 9.
   Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure      66  
Item 9A.
   Controls and Procedures      66  
Item 9B.
   Other Information      67  
Item 9C.
   Disclosures Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections      67  
PART III
     
Item 10.
   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance      68  
Item 11.
   Executive Compensation      77  
Item 12.
   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters      77  
Item 13.
   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence      80  
Item 14.
   Principal Accountant Fees and Services      82  
PART IV
     
Item 15.
   Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules      84  
Item 16.
   Form 10-K Summary      85  
 
 
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Table of Contents
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form
10-K
contains
forward-looking
statements. We intend such
forward-looking
statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for
forward-looking
statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form
10-K
may be
forward-looking
statements.
Forward-looking
statements contained in this Annual Report on Form
10-K
include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are
forward-looking
statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “shall,” “should,” “will,” “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 Annual Report on Form
10-K
may include, for example, statements about:
 
   
our being a company with no operating history and no revenues;
 
   
our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
 
   
our ability to complete our initial business combination;
 
   
our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses;
 
   
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;
 
   
our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
 
   
our pool of prospective target businesses;
 
   
our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the
COVID-19
pandemic;
 
   
the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
 
   
our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
 
   
the lack of a market for our securities;
 
   
the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
 
   
the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties;
 
   
the potential tax consequences of investing in our securities;
 
   
our financial performance following the IPO; or
 
   
the other risks and uncertainties discussed in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
 
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Table of Contents
The
forward-looking
statements contained in this Annual Report on Form
10-K
are based on information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report on Form
10-K
and on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. While we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, 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 in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
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. Investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. These
forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
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. We qualify all of our
forward-looking
statements by these cautionary statements.
 
 
As used in this Annual Report on Form
10-K,
unless otherwise stated herein or the context otherwise requires, references to:
 
   
“amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the company;
 
   
“anchor investors” are to the certain qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors, as defined in Rule 144A and Regulation D, respectively, under the Securities Act, which are not affiliated with us, our sponsor, our directors or any member of our management and that purchased 19,800,000 units in our IPO and an aggregate of 1,350,000 founder shares from our sponsor in connection with the closing of the IPO;
 
   
“Class A common stock” are to our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share;
 
   
“Class B common stock” are to our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share;
 
   
“common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively;
 
   
“DGCL” are to the Delaware General Corporation Law as the same may be amended from time to time;
 
   
“equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of our Class A common stock issued in connection with our initial business combination including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt;
 
   
“founders” are to Daniel Ciporin and Jonathan Rosenzweig;
 
   
“founder shares” are to the shares of our Class B common stock initially purchased by our initial stockholders in a private placement prior to our initial public offering (and a portion of which have been sold to the public anchor investors in connection with the closing of the initial public offering), and the shares of our Class A common stock that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the shares of our Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of our Class A common stock will not be “public shares”);
 
   
“initial stockholders” are to our sponsor and our independent directors (the holders of our founder shares prior to our IPO);
 
   
“IPO” is to our initial public offering of our units, Class A common stock and redeemable warrants, which closed on October 4, 2021;
 
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Table of Contents
   
“management” or our “management team” are to our executive officers and directors;
 
   
“private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of our IPO and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any;
 
   
“public anchor investors” are to the anchor investors other than the UBS O’Connor anchor investors;
 
   
“prospectus” means the prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, dated September 29, 2021, relating to our IPO;
 
   
“public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in IPO (whether they are purchased in the IPO or thereafter in the open market);
 
   
“public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor and management team to the extent our sponsor and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that our sponsor’s and each member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares;
 
   
“public warrants” are to our warrants sold as part of the units in our IPO (whether they are purchased in the IPO or thereafter in the open market) and to any private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans that are sold to third parties that are not initial purchasers or officers or directors (or permitted transferees) following the consummation of our initial business combination;
 
   
“sponsor” are to Home Plate Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;
 
   
“sponsor team” are to our founders and the members of our sponsor (which includes each of our founders, independent directors and additional advisors);
 
   
“trust account” are to the trust account in the United States, with United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, into which we deposited certain proceeds from our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants;
 
   
“warrants” are to the public warrants and the private placement warrants; and
 
   
“we,” “us,” “our,” “company” or “our company” refer to Home Plate Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation.
 
3

Table of Contents
PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We are an early stage blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this Annual Report on Form
10-K
as our initial business combination.
Although we may pursue targets in any industry, we intend to focus our efforts on identifying high growth, U.S. and international acquisition targets in the financial technology (“Fintech”) and Embedded Finance sectors. “Embedded Finance” refers to the combination of a
non-financial
service provider with a financial technology. We intend to capitalize on the ability of our sponsor team to identify and acquire and advise a business that can benefit from our founders’ management expertise and disciplined approach to capital allocation and investment oversight.
The address of our principal executive offices is P.O. Box 1314, New York, NY and our telephone number is (917)
703-2312.
We maintain a corporate website at
www.homeplateacq.com
. The information contained on or accessible through any website that we may maintain is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
Our Company
Our sponsor team is comprised of our founders complemented by a group of industry veterans that either hold independent board of director positions or will serve as advisors to the Company, who may assist in the sourcing and evaluation of potential targets. We believe that our sponsor team’s experience in driving operational improvements and organic growth as well as optimizing capital allocation will benefit us following the initial business combination and create value for stockholders. Several members of our sponsor team, including Daniel Ciporin, our Chief Executive Officer, have a track record of building growth-oriented businesses on the foundation of strategic planning, organic growth and opportunistic acquisitions coupled with strong cash flow generation. In addition, Jonathan Rosenzweig, our Chief Financial Officer has 27 years of experience related to equity securities analysis and interacting with asset managers, which we believe enable him to provide value added insight into both the success factors for publicly traded stocks and the demands of institutional investors. In order to take advantage of the depth and breadth of our sponsor team’s industry experience, we intend to consult with the various sponsor team members who have specific expertise and experience with potential targets or their specific industry sectors or markets.
Initial Public Offering
On October 4, 2021, we consummated our IPO of 20,000,000 units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and
one-half
of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating net proceeds to the Company of $200,000,000.
Certain qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors (including certain funds managed by UBS O’Connor, LLC) which are not affiliated with us, our sponsor, our directors or any member of our management team (together, the “anchor investors”) purchased an aggregate of 19,800,000 units in the IPO. In consideration of the purchase of units in the IPO, our sponsor entered into an investment agreement with each of the anchor investors (other than those funds managed by UBS O’Connor) pursuant to which the sponsor sold an aggregate of 1,350,000 founder shares at their original purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share.
Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 7,600,000 private placement warrants consisting of (i) 6,600,000 to our sponsor and (ii) 1,000,000 warrants to Jefferies LLC, the underwriter of our IPO, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total gross proceeds of $7,600,000 (collectively, the “private placement”). The private placement warrants are identical to the
 
4

Table of Contents
public warrants, except that the private placement warrants (including the underlying securities) are subject to certain transfer restrictions and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights, and, if held by the original holder or their permitted assigns, the underlying warrants (i) may be exercised on a cashless basis, and (ii) are not subject to redemption (except in certain limited circumstances).
A total of $200,000,000, representing both net proceeds from the IPO (which includes the $7,000,000 deferred underwriting commission) and the private placement, were placed in a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, for the benefit of our public stock holders. The net proceeds are invested only in 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. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay its tax obligations and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, none of the funds held in the trust account will be released until the earliest of (i) the completion of the our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of the public shares the right to have their shares redeemed or to redeem 100% of the public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of the IPO or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of the public shares or our
pre-initial
business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of the public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of the IPO, subject to applicable law.
Business Strategy & Competitive Strengths
We intend to focus on high growth, U.S. and international acquisition targets in the Fintech and Embedded Finance sectors.
We believe that the Financial Services industry remains well behind others in terms of penetration by disruptive technologies. Examples of traditional sectors within Fintech include digital finance and lending, payment processing and gateways, mobile wallet technologies, electronic remittance,
peer-to-peer
solutions, authentication and security products, blockchain and digital assets, banking as a service and mobile banking,
pre-paid
cards, and digital wealth management. This represents only a portion of the vast array of Fintech opportunities from which to select a successful business combination.
“Embedded Finance” refers to the combination of a
non-financial
service provider with a financial technology. Embedded Finance offers transformational opportunities among consumer or enterprise businesses that can rapidly monetize and scale through the integration of financial technology. There are a vast range of opportunities. As described by Finextra Research and other sources, examples include: an
e-commerce
site offering a “buy now, pay later” option that serves as a digital loan; a ride-hailing site allowing users to pay directly on the app, rather than handing the driver cash or a credit card; an auto manufacturer or retailer electronically incorporating the application for insurance into the process of buying the vehicle; a consumer service provider allowing employees to receive payment almost instantly through a digital wallet or special debit cards; a health care provider leveraging data sets to match patients with the optimal coverage; and, a real estate service closing a transaction online without an agent as an intermediary.
The potential market for Fintech is large and rapidly expanding, particularly as payments and other embedded finance capabilities have a highly accretive impact on a myriad of consumer and enterprise applications. According to CB Insights’
State of Venture
report for the third quarter of 2021, global FinTech companies raised over $91.5 billion during the first three quarters of 2021, nearly double the amount raised during the full year total for 2020, in over 3,500 deals. The total number of FinTech exits also reached a new high, with gains across SPACs, IPOs and M&A.
Our strategy and process are the culmination of over 100 years of combined experience of our sponsor team members in venture, private equity investing, mergers and acquisitions advisory services, asset management, equity research, investment banking, and operations/senior management. Collectively, our founders and board members have been members of numerous public and private company boards, while sourcing and providing diligence for a variety of transactions. Two have led successful public offerings as Chief Executive Officers. Our Chairman and
 
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Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ciporin, is the former Chairman and CEO of Shopping.com, where he oversaw growth from approximately zero to approximately $100 million in revenue in six years, culminating in its initial public offering in October 2004 and later an acquisition by eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY). Mr. Ciporin also has been a member of boards of other companies, including Lending Club (NYSE: LC) and Borderfree (formerly NASDAQ: BRDR prior to its acquisition by Pitney Bowes International in 2015) which have completed initial public offerings. Mike DeSimone, one of our independent directors, led Borderfree in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer and President through its initial public offering in 2014, after which it was acquired by Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI).
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating potential acquisition opportunities. We will generally use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to complete an initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. While we intend to acquire a controlling interest in a single company or business, we may acquire more than one company or business if the right opportunities are presented.
We intend to target venture capital-backed growth equity opportunities where we believe that our sponsor team’s collective expertise, relationships, and access to capital can significantly enhance the chances of success for an acquired target company. Though no single criterion will determine whether or not we pursue a business combination, we have identified the guidelines below for evaluating prospective targets. We intend to focus on companies that:
 
   
tie to our broad industry thesis related to Fintech and Embedded Finance, including transformational opportunities as described above;
 
   
provide products or services which we believe offer discernible and material value to customers;
 
   
demonstrate a consistent ability to monetize their product or service;
 
   
participate in large addressable
end-markets;
 
   
harbor robust secular and scalable growth potential, that we believe have a clear path to profitability;
 
   
benefit from near-term fundamental catalysts, which we believe can propel earnings and/or equity value;
 
   
offer a diverse customer base;
 
   
operate a solid economic model, which we believe will generate stable and predictable cash flows and profits;
 
   
maintain protective competitive barriers with defensible intellectual property or unambiguous differentiation;
 
   
face easily identifiable and manageable product or execution risks;
 
   
have a strong and experienced management team with a successful track-record for driving growth and value for investors;
 
   
maintain the systems, analytics, and processes to effectively manage risk;
 
   
stand to benefit meaningfully from the infusion of capital and the partnership with our sponsor team in order to drive future growth and to optimize operations; and
 
   
exhibit readiness to be a public company.
 
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These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. We intend to remain disciplined in thoroughly evaluating the merits of any initial business combination. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the majority of the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the majority of the above criteria and guidelines in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
In addition to any potential business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest
non-core
assets or divisions.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our sponsor team’s operational and capital planning experience.
Each of our directors and the members of our sponsor team has, directly and/or indirectly through their membership interests in our sponsor, an interest in founder shares and/or private placement warrants 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, our directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such directors and officers is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity subject to his or her fiduciary duties. As a result, 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, then, subject to such officer’s and director’s fiduciary duties, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties or obligations to materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any business combination 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 the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
In addition, our officers and directors, are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors—Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.”
Initial Business Combination
In accordance with the rules of Nasdaq, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our
 
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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). Even though 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 our satisfaction of the 80% of net assets test, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board of directors 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 that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, or an independent valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value of the target business meets the 80% of net assets test, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-business combination company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-business combination 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-business combination 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-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-business combination company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination.
Subject to foregoing, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty.
 
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Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Other Considerations
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our founders, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
The members of our sponsor team may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts with such other companies would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination, because we believe there are multiple potential opportunities in the industries and geographies of our primary focus.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our sponsor team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
Emerging Growth Company Status
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a
non-binding
advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
 
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In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the Market Value of our Class A common stock that are held by
non-affiliates
equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in
non-convertible
debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in 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 shares of common stock held by
non-affiliates
equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our shares of common stock held by
non-affiliates
equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Sources of Target Businesses
Our process of identifying acquisition targets will leverage our sponsor and our sponsor team’s and the underwriter’s industry experiences and broad and deep network of relationships in numerous industries, including executives and management teams, private equity groups and other institutional investors, large business enterprises, lenders, investment bankers and other investment market participants, restructuring advisers, consultants, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. We expect that the collective experience, capability and network of our founders, directors, officers and advisors, combined with their individual and collective reputations in the investment community, will help to create prospective business combination opportunities.
In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. 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 in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions.
We also expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). None of our sponsor, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated acquisition of such target by us.
 
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or from making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
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, including entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. 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 business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties.
Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
In accordance with the rules of Nasdaq, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test.
To the extent we effect our business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The company will not pay any consulting fees to members of our sponsor team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.
 
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Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
 
   
subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination; and
 
   
cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our sponsor team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our sponsor team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our sponsor team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material
non-public
information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated
 
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transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, directors, officers, and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, directors, officers, or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of our Class A common stock) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the stockholder meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, directors, officers or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule
10b-18
under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule
10b-18,
which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule
10b-5
of the Exchange Act. Rule
10b-18
has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates will not make purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule
10b-5
of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to certain limitations. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares they acquired during or after our IPO in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to
 
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approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. The public anchor investors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. The public anchor investors will not be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them in connection with the completion of our business combination.
Limitations on Redemptions
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking stockholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our shares of outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq rules.
If we held a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
 
   
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
 
   
file proxy materials with the SEC.
In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
 
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If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holder present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the Company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote at such meeting. Holders of our founder shares will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares they may acquire during or after our IPO, and each of our anchor investors has agreed to vote their founder shares (subject to the right to abstain from voting) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted,
non-votes
will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, if all issued and outstanding shares are voted, in addition to our founder shares (assuming all public anchor investors vote their founder shares in favor of the business combination), we would need 7,500,001 (or 37.5%) of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in our IPO to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. If only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted, in addition to our founder shares (assuming all public anchor investors vote their founder shares in favor of the business combination), we would need 1,250,001 (or 6.25%) of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in our IPO to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. In the event that the anchor investors hold all such units until prior to consummation of our initial business combination and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, in addition to the founder shares, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. The anchor investors are not required to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or for or against any other matter presented for a shareholder vote. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will complete our initial business combination. In addition, as a result of the private placement warrants that the UBS O’Connor anchor investors may indirectly have an interest in through their interest in our sponsor, they may have different interests with respect to a vote on an initial business combination than other anchor investors and public stockholders. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a stockholder on the record date for the stockholder meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of a business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. The public anchor investors will not be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
 
   
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule
13e-4
and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
 
   
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule
10b5-1
to purchase Class A common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule
14e-5
under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule
14e-1(a)
under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
 
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of our Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of our Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to the Excess Shares. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the public shares included in the units sold in our IPO could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in our IPO without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
Public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” will be required to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, mailed to such holders, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/ Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote to approve the business combination. The proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the initial vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short period in which to exercise redemption rights, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
 
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There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by some blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the general meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming stockholder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, unless otherwise agreed to by us. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 18 months from the closing of our IPO.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 18 months from the closing of our IPO to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. The public anchor investors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or otherwise. However, if our sponsor, officers, directors or anchor investors acquire public shares in or after our IPO, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO.
 
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $2,132,242 of proceeds held outside the trust account, as of December 31, 2021 plus up to $100,000 of funds from the trust account available to us to pay dissolution expenses, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. The underwriter will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the
 
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extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a business combination transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. 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 their indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2021, we have access to approximately $2,132,242 from the proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors, however such liability will not be greater than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such stockholder.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a
60-day
notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a
90-day
period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional
150-day
waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
 
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Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 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.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 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. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
If we file a bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, 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.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, (ii) in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to the
 
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rights of holders of our Class A common stock, or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. Public stockholders who redeem their shares of our Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, with respect to such shares of our Class A common stock so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We have registered our units, Class A common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
 
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In connection with our IPO, we filed a Registration Statement on Form
8-A
with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination.
 
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Below is a summary of the principal risk factors that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
The occurrence of any of the events described below could harm our business, operating results, financial condition, liquidity, or prospects. In any such event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, may also impair our business. See
“Forward-Looking
Statements.”
Risk Factor Summary
An investment in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. Among these important risks are the following:
 
   
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of our IPO, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, and we would redeem our public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account, and we would liquidate. In such event, our warrants would expire worthless.
 
   
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination.
 
   
Our initial stockholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
 
   
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.
 
   
Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
 
   
We may issue additional shares of 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.
 
   
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.
 
   
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.
 
   
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus
(COVID-19)
pandemic and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.
 
   
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may consummate our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
 
   
There may be tax consequences to our initial business combination that may adversely affect us.
 
   
Our officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
 
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Our officers and directors may have interests in a potential business combination that are different than yours, which may create conflicts of interest.
 
   
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
 
   
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants.
 
   
We may amend the terms of our warrant agreement to allow for our warrants to be classified as equity in our financial statements with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the public warrants and the private placement warrants, voting together as a single class.
 
   
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants effectively worthless.
 
   
If third parties bring claims against us, and if our directors decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, or if our sponsor does not have the funds to indemnify us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
 
   
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 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 stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
 
   
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
 
   
We are a newly formed company with no operating history, and, accordingly, you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
 
   
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
 
   
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, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
 
   
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
 
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Risks Related to Searching for and Consummating a Business Combination
Past performance by our sponsor team or their respective affiliates (including our founders) may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us or in the future performance of any business that we may acquire.
Information regarding past performance is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience or performance of our founders, our sponsor team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either (i) our ability to successfully identify and execute a transaction or (ii) success with respect to any business combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our founders, our sponsor team or their respective affiliates as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. An investment with us is not an investment in our sponsor, and does not in any way create an advisory relationship between our sponsor and any of our stockholders.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we have a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. For instance, if we were seeking to acquire a target business where the consideration we were paying in the transaction was all cash, we would not be required to seek stockholder approval to complete such a transaction. Except as required by law or stock exchange, 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. Even if we seek stockholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our outstanding public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. Additionally, since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor and directors have agreed to vote shares held by them, and our public anchor investors have agreed to vote founder shares held by them, in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Holders of our founder shares collectively own, on an
as-converted
basis, approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, members of our sponsor team and our anchor investors also may from time to time purchase Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any shares purchased during or after our IPO, in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, if all issued and outstanding shares are voted, in addition to our founder shares, we would need 7,500,001 (or 37.5%) of the 20,000,000 public shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. If only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted, in addition to our founder shares (assuming all public anchor investors vote their founder shares in favor of the business combination), we would need 1,250,001 (or 6.25%) of the 20,000,000 public shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our
 
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sponsor and directors to vote shares held by them, and our public anchor investors to vote founder shares held by them (subject to the right to abstain from voting), in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination. In the event that the anchor investors hold all such units until prior to consummation of our initial business combination and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, in addition to the founder shares, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. The anchor investors are not required to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or for or against any other matter presented for a stockholder vote. In addition, as a result of the private placement warrants that the UBS O’Connor anchor investors indirectly have an interest in through their interest in our sponsor, they may have different interests with respect to a vote on an initial business combination than other public stockholders.
Although none of our initial stockholders, directors or officers have any current intention to purchase our public shares in or after our IPO, they are not restricted from doing so and there is no minimum or maximum number of our public shares they may purchase. If they purchase any of our public shares and retain such public shares until any stockholder vote on our initial business combination, the approval of our initial business combination by our stockholders will be even more likely. In addition, in the event that the anchor investors retain the public shares comprising those units purchased in the IPO until the time of any stockholder vote on our initial business combination and vote those 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 of our IPO and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of the anchor investors will be stockholders at the time of any stockholder vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on our initial business combination if any such stockholder vote occurs. Although no assurance can be given as to the manner in which any of the anchor investors will vote any public shares they hold in the event of such stockholder vote, because of their ownership in the founder shares, the public anchor investors may have interests that differ from those of other public stockholders with respect to a vote on an initial business combination, and such ownership may provide an incentive for them to vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per share value of shares held by
non-redeeming
stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting fees.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for
 
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redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for additional third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful increases. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete an initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of our IPO may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
The coronavirus
(COVID-19)
pandemic and the impact on business and debt and equity markets could have a material adverse effect on our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination.
The outbreak of the coronavirus has resulted in a widespread health crisis that is adversely affecting the economies and financial markets worldwide, business operations and the conduct of commerce generally and could have a material adverse effect on the business of any potential target business with which we complete a business combination. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to the coronavirus restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and complete a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the actions to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by the coronavirus or other matters of global concern continue for an extended period of time, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to complete a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination. Although the long-term economic fallout of
COVID-19
is difficult to predict, it has and is expected to continue to have ongoing material adverse effects across many, if not all, aspects of the regional, national and global economy.
 
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In addition, our ability to complete a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing and the
COVID-19
pandemic and other related events could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise adequate financing.
The
COVID-19
pandemic may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and any cross-border transactions, and may make it more difficult to assess the future performance of any target business.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause 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. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, 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 may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims
(“run-off
insurance”). The need for
run-off
insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer
 
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documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“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) (“PCAOB”). These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we identified any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
We may pursue business combination opportunities in any sector, except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all 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 our IPO than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholder who choose to remain stockholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
 
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Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses and our strategy will be to identify, acquire and build a company in our target investment area, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses and our strategy will be to identify, acquire and build a company in our target investment area, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have attributes consistent with our general criteria and guidelines. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
A slowdown in economic growth in the markets in which our target business operates may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, the value of our securities and the trading price of our shares following our business combination.
Following the business combination, our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition may be dependent on, and may be adversely affected by, conditions in financial markets in the global economy, and, particularly in the markets where the business operates. The specific economy could be adversely affected by various factors, such as political or regulatory action, including business corruption, social disturbances, terrorist attacks and other acts of violence or war, natural calamities, interest rates, inflation, commodity and energy prices and various other factors which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, the value of our securities and the trading price of our shares following the business combination.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting or investment banking firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting firm or independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a price of less than $9.20 per 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 or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our initial stockholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we complete our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively. This may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination with a target business as such adjustment would preserve the dilutive effect of the warrants.
 
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, where otherwise permissible under applicable laws, rules and regulations, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions.
Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for 18 months from the closing of our IPO, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or sponsor team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account to fund our working capital requirements may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for 18 months from the closing of our IPO, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our sponsor will be sufficient to allow us to operate for 18 months from the closing of our IPO; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we expect to use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a
“no-shop”
provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
 
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If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, sponsor team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our sponsor team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive an estimated $10.00 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or
key-man
insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
 
   
restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
 
   
restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
 
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In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
 
   
registration as an investment company;
 
   
adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
 
   
reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule
2a-7
promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (a) the completion of our initial business combination; (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock; or (c) absent our completing an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Recently, a purported shareholder of certain special purpose acquisition companies initiated derivative lawsuits asserting that such special purpose acquisition companies are investment companies under Investment Company Act, because proceeds from their initial public offerings are invested in short-term United States government securities and qualifying money market funds. Under the provision of the Investment Company Act relied upon in the lawsuits, an investment company is defined as a company that is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Consistent with longstanding interpretations of the Investment Company Act, and its plain statutory text, any company that temporarily holds short-term United States government securities and qualifying money market funds, while engaging in its primary business of seeking a business combination with one or more operating companies, is not an investment company under the Investment Company Act. The Company believes that a special purpose acquisition company is not an investment company under the Investment Company Act if it (i) engages in its stated business purpose of identifying and attempting to complete, or completing, a business combination with one or more operating companies within a specified period of time and (ii) holds short-term United States government securities and qualifying money market funds in its trust account pending completion of its initial business combination. However, there can be no assurance that an adverse result in one or more such proceedings would not have a potentially material adverse effect on the Company or its business purpose.
 
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We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
 
   
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
 
   
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
 
   
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
 
   
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
 
   
our inability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock;
 
   
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general corporate purposes;
 
   
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
 
   
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
 
   
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements and execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
There may be tax consequences to our initial business combination that may adversely affect us.
While we expect to undertake any initial business combination so as to minimize taxes both to the acquired business and/or asset and us, such initial 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.
Risks Related to the Post-Business Combination Company
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management, director or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
 
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We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may consummate our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. Upon the loss of control of a target business, new management may not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-business combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-business combination company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of our Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of our Class A common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding Class A common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
 
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We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our sponsor team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, $193,000,000 is available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses.
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory 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, property or asset; or
 
   
dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence (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.
 
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If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
 
   
costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;
 
   
rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
 
   
complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
 
   
laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
 
   
exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
 
   
tariffs and trade barriers;
 
   
regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
 
   
local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
 
   
unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
 
   
longer payment cycles;
 
   
tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
 
   
currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
 
   
rates of inflation;
 
   
challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
 
   
cultural and language differences;
 
   
employment regulations;
 
   
underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;
 
   
corruption;
 
   
protection of intellectual property;
 
   
social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
 
   
regime changes and political upheaval;
 
   
terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;
 
   
deterioration of political relations with the United States; and
 
   
government appropriation of assets.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
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Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or
write-off
assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be
non-cash
items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming
pre-existing
debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest of our Officers, Directors and Others
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. In addition, directors or members of our sponsor team who remain with us, or their affiliates, may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company following the closing of our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to his or her fiduciary duties. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in our IPO, our sponsor, upon completion of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate up to three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration rights agreement.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
 
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Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including to a blank check company, and accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we complete our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us, subject to their fiduciary duties. Furthermore, we expect that, to minimize potential conflicts, our target investments will have characteristics appropriate for public companies and, accordingly, or due to other characteristics, will not be suitable for private equity-style investments, which may limit the pool of suitable acquisition targets. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our founders and our directors and officers may in the future become affiliated with other blank check companies 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 such other blank check companies prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any business combination 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 the Company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us, including the formation or participation in one or more other blank check companies. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
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. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Delaware law and we or our stockholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our stockholders’ rights. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Our founders and our directors and officers may sponsor,
 
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form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after our IPO), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
Prior to our IPO, our initial stockholders purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our initial stockholders, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after our IPO. Our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares following the expiration of the IPO underwriter’s unexercised over-allotment option in connection with the IPO. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and Jefferies purchased an aggregate of 7,600,000 private placement warrants, each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, for a purchase price of $7,600,000, or $1.00 per whole warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. Holders of founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director, and we may reimburse our sponsor, officers, directors and any of their respective affiliates expenses in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination.
The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the
18-month
anniversary of the closing of our IPO nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriter or one of its affiliates to provide additional services to us, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. The underwriter is entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause the underwriter to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriter or one of its affiliates to provide additional services to us, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any underwriter or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriter or its affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of our IPO, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with our IPO. The underwriter is also entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business
 
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combination. In addition, the underwriter has purchased 1,000,000 private placement warrants, at a price of $1.00 per whole warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. The fact that the underwriter or its affiliates’ financial interests are tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
Members of our sponsor team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result, certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. This may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our sponsor team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain persons were, are now, or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings arising out of or relating to the business affairs of such companies or transactions entered into by such companies. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert our sponsor team’s and board’s attention and resources away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
Risks Related to Our Securities
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of our IPO, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete an initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of our IPO. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not completed an initial business combination within such applicable time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, despite our compliance with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
 
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You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of our Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of our Class A common stock, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public stockholders who redeem their shares of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, with respect to such Class A common stock so redeemed. In addition, if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 18 months from the closing of our IPO before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to such warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Although we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share, a minimum market value of our listed securities of $50 million and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 400 public holders).
Additionally, our units will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination and, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our minimum bid price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, the minimum market value of our listed securities must be at least $75 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an
over-the-counter
market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
 
   
a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
 
   
reduced liquidity for our securities;
 
   
a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
 
   
a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
 
   
a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
 
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The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute, 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 many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 and will file a Current Report on Form
8-K,
including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units sold in our IPO, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units sold in our IPO.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the public shares included in the units sold in our IPO without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these
 
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individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a stockholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to a certain letter agreement, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a business combination transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third
 
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party claims. 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 cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers, and our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may have certain adverse consequences.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we complete an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
 
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If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or
winding-up
petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule
2a-7
under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their
pro-rata
share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes payable. Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
If we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such 18 months before redemption from our trust account.
If we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of the interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to
wind-up,
liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 18 months from the closing of our IPO before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we complete our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their shares of Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete our initial business combination.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a
60-day
notice period during which any
 
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third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a
90-day
period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional
150-day
waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18
th
month from the closing of our IPO in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the ten years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the completion of our initial business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
Holders of our Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the completion of an initial business combination.
 
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Registration of the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We have agreed, under the terms of the warrant agreement, that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, and within 60 days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a post-effective amendment to our registration statement or a new registration statement covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Because the warrants are not exercisable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, we do not currently intend to update our registration statement or file a new registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until after the initial business combination has been consummated. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case the number of shares of our Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum number of shares equal to 0.361 shares of our Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).
However, no such warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, unless an exemption from state registration is available.
Notwithstanding the above, if the shares of our Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the warrants included as part of units sold in our IPO. In such an instance, our sponsor and its transferees (which may include our directors and officers) would be able to sell the common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying common stock. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the warrants included as part of units sold in our IPO. In such an instance, our sponsor and its transferees (which may include our directors and officers) would be able to sell the shares of common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of common stock. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
 
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Our ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis after we call the warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the sale of the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants will cause holders to receive fewer shares of our Class A common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to pay the exercise price of their warrants in cash.
If we call the warrants for redemption, we will have the option, in our sole discretion, to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis in the circumstances described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Share of Our Class A common stock Equals or Exceeds $10.00.” If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, the number of shares of our Class A common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the shares of our Class A common stock have a fair market value of $17.50 per share when there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 shares of our Class A common stock. The holder would have received 875 shares of our Class A common stock if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of shares of our Class A common stock upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.
The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the shares of our Class A common stock, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.
In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the shares of our Class A common stock. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within twenty business days of the closing of an initial business combination.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and public anchor investors may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of the shares of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in our IPO, our initial stockholders, the public anchor investors and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the shares of our Class A common stock into which founder shares are convertible, the private placement warrants and the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of such warrants. The registration rights will be exercisable with respect to the founder shares and the private placement warrants and the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such private placement warrants. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees are registered.
We may issue additional shares of our Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of our Class A common stock upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than
one-to-one
at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021, there were 180,000,000 and 15,000,000 authorized but unissued shares of our Class A common stock and
 
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Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants, or shares issuable upon conversion of the shares of the Class B common stock. The Class B common stock is automatically convertible into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination as described in herein and in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. There are no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A common stock to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Share of Our Class A Common Stock Equals or Exceeds $10.00” or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than
one-to-one
at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to stockholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock:
 
   
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors;
 
   
may subordinate the rights of holders of our Class A common stock if share of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A common stock;
 
   
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
 
   
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and
 
   
will not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Unlike some other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of our Class A common stock if we issue shares to complete an initial business combination.
The founder shares are shares of Class B common stock that will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock on the first business day following the completion of our initial business combination at a ratio such that the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an
as-converted
basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of shares of our Class A common stock issued and outstanding, plus (ii) the sum of (a) all shares of our Class A common stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued by the company in connection with or in relation to the completion of the initial business combination, excluding (1) any shares of our Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into shares of our Class A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and (2) any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor or any of its affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans, minus (b) the number of public shares redeemed by public stockholders in connection with our initial business combination. In no event will the shares of our Class B common stock convert into shares of our Class A common stock at a rate of less than
one-to-one.
This is different than most other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial stockholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business
 
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combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of our Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of our Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, changed industry focus and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires the approval of holders of a majority of our common stock, and amending our warrant agreement requires a vote of holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants; provided that, solely in the case of an amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants that does not adversely affect any of the terms of the public warrants, such amendment will require only the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO or with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or
pre-initial
business combination activity. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our
pre-business
combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least a majority of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s
pre-business
combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by 90% of the company’s stockholders attending and voting at an annual meeting. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to
pre-business
combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our IPO and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders) may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our common stock entitled to vote thereon and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least a majority of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by
 
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holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees (including our public anchor investors), if any, who will collectively beneficially own, on an as converted basis, 20% of our common stock, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our
pre-business
combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in letter agreements that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Certain agreements related to our IPO may be amended without stockholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to our IPO, the letter agreement among us, our sponsor, officers and directors, and the registration rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendments would not require approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of an initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment may make it difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders and not previously released to us to pay our taxes on the liquidation of our trust account, and our
 
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warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Holders of our founder shares control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Holders of our founder shares own, on an
as-converted
basis, approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If our initial stockholders or anchor investors purchase any additional shares of our Class A common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a terms for three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Concentration of ownership among our sponsor and the anchor investors may prevent other investors from influencing significant corporate decisions or adversely affect the trading price of our public shares.
The anchor investors, in the aggregate, own 84.6% of the outstanding shares of our common stock and the anchor investors together with our sponsor own collectively 99.2% of the outstanding shares of common stock, on an
as-converted
basis. As a result, the anchor investors as a group have substantial control over us and may be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval. For example, in the event that the anchor investors vote their shares in favor of our initial business combination (although they are not contractually obligated to, the public anchor investors’ interest in our founder shares may provide an incentive for them to do so), we would not need any additional public shares to be voted in favor of our initial business combination to have our initial business combination approved. This potential concentration of influence could be disadvantageous to other stockholders with interests different from those of our sponsor or the anchor investors. In addition, this potential significant concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our public shares because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning shares in companies with principal stockholders.
The anchor investors are not restricted from selling any units (including the underlying securities) that they purchased in our IPO, and any such sales may adversely affect the trading price of our securities.
The anchor investors will not be subject to any agreements restricting them from transferring the units (including the underlying securities) that they purchased in our IPO. As such, the anchor investors will be free to sell the units, the shares and the warrants in the quantities and at the times they so desire. Any such sales may adversely affect the trading price of our securities.
 
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We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants. In addition, we may amend the terms of our warrant agreement to allow for our warrants to be classified as equity in our financial statements with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the public warrants and the private placement warrants, voting together as a single class. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants have been 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. Amending our warrant agreement to allow for our warrants to be classified as equity in our financial statements will require a vote of holders of at least a majority of the public warrants and the private placement warrants, voting together as a single class. Otherwise, amending our warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants; provided that, solely in the case of an amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants that does not adversely affect any of the terms of the public warrants, such amendment will require only the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding private placement warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrants are expected to be accounted for as derivative liabilities and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
In connection with the IPO, we issued 10,000,000 warrants and 7,600,000 private placement warrants. We expect to account for both the warrants underlying the units and the private placement warrants as a warrant liability. At each reporting period (1) the accounting treatment of the warrants will be
re-evaluated
for proper accounting treatment as a liability or equity and (2) the fair value of the liability of the public warrants and the private placement warrants will be remeasured and the change in the fair value of the liability will be recognized in our statement of operations. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, potential targets may seek a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
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 do not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States of America have exclusive jurisdiction. 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
 
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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 a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This
choice-of-forum
provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us, 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, liquidity and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants effectively worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). 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 as described above could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the Market Value of your warrants.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). In such a case, the holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of shares of our Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of common stock received is capped at 0.361 shares of our Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of the shares of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
In connection with our IPO, we issued warrants to purchase 10,000,000 of our Class A common stock 7,600,000 private placement warrants, each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. There are currently 5,000,000 founder shares outstanding. The founder shares are convertible into Class A common stock on a
one-for-one
basis, subject to adjustment as set forth in this herein. In addition, if our sponsor or any of its affiliates makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. Our public warrants are also redeemable by us for shares of our Class A common stock as described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Share of Our Class A Common Stock Equals or Exceeds $10.00.”
 
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To the extent we issue Class A common stock for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of our Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants when exercised will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of our Class A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants sold as part of the units in our IPO except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor, Jefferies or their permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor or Jefferies until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis, (iv) are subject to registration rights and (vi) with respect to private placement warrants held by Jefferies, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in our IPO in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8).
Because each unit contains
one-half
of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains
one-half
of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon separation of the units, a holder of warrants would be entitled to receive a fractional warrant, we will round down to the nearest whole number the number of warrants to be issued to such holder. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of our Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one common share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if it included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders of shares of our Class B common stock, which have been issued to our sponsor, are entitled to vote on the election of directors, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii)
 
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any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, 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.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and the regulations thereunder. 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, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors, upon the listing of our shares on Nasdaq, Nasdaq may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
Only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a ‘controlled company’ and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
 
   
we have a board that includes a majority of ‘independent directors,’ as defined under the rules of Nasdaq;
 
   
we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
 
   
we have independent director oversight of our director nominations.
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable
phase-in
rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
General Risks
We would 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).
 
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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 five or fewer individuals during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC following our IPO 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.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
We are a recently incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a recently incorporated company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware with no operating results. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate a business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes
 
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compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the Market Value of our Class A common stock held by
non-affiliates
equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of any June 30th before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we intend to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to
non-emerging
growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in 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 shares of common stock held by
non-affiliates
equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our shares of common stock held by
non-affiliates
equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
 
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We do not own any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. The address of our principal executive office is P.O. Box 1314, New York, NY 10028.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
To the knowledge of our management team, there is no litigation currently pending or contemplated against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such or against any of our property.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not Applicable.
 
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our units, Class A common stock and warrants are each traded on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “HPLTU” “HPLT” and “HPLTW,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading September 29, 2021, and our Class A common stock and warrants commenced separate public trading on November 22, 2021.
Holders
As of March 14, 2022, there were 35 holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of stockholders of our Class A common is greater than the number of record holders and includes stockholders whose Class A common stock are held in street name by brokers and other nominees.
Dividend Policy
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer or Affiliated Purchaser
Prior to our IPO, our initial stockholders paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares following the expiration of the IPO underwriter’s unexercised over-allotment option in connection with the IPO.
On May 5, 2021, our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to IPO under an unsecured promissory note (the “Promissory Note”). The loan under the Promissory Note did not bear any interest and was payable upon the completion of the IPO. We borrowed an aggregate of $266,912 under the Promissory Note which we repaid in full as of October 4, 2021.
On October 4, 2021, simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 7,600,000 private placement warrants, consisting of (i) 6,600,000 our sponsor, and (ii) 1,000,000 warrants to Jefferies, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total gross proceeds of $7,600,000. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to the private placement. The private placement was conducted as a
non-public
transaction and, as a transaction by an issuer not involving a public offering, is exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance upon Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Use of Proceeds from the IPO
The sale of the units in the IPO and the concurrent sale of the private placement warrants, discussed above, generated gross proceeds to the Company of $207,600,000, consisting of $200,000,000 from the sale of the units and $7,600,000 from the sale of the private placement warrants. The securities in the IPO were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form
S-1
(File
No. 333-259324),
declared effective by the SEC on September 29, 2021. Jefferies LLC served as the sole book running manager for the IPO.
 
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At the closing of the IPO, we paid a total of $4,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions and $581,309 for other costs and expenses related to the IPO. In addition, the underwriter agreed to defer up to $7,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions. No payments for such expenses were made directly or indirectly to (i) any of our officers or directors or their associates, (ii) any persons owning 10% or more of any class of our equity securities, or (iii) any of our affiliates.
There has been no material change in the expected use of the net proceeds from our IPO.
Item 6. [Reserved.]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the audited financial statements included in our final prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) on October 1, 2021 (the “Final Prospectus”) and the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Final Prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates, and beliefs that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under the “Risk Factors” section of our Final Prospectus and under the “Forward-Looking Statements” section elsewhere in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K, our
actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on March 24, 2021 as a Delaware corporation and 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 (a “Business Combination”). We have not yet selected any business combination target. Although we may pursue targets in any industry, we intend to focus our efforts on identifying high growth, U.S. and international acquisition targets in the financial technology (“Fintech”) or the Embedded Finance sector. Embedded Finance refers to the combination of
a non-financial business
with a financial technology, enhancing the combined growth potential and value of the entity.
Our sponsor is Home Plate Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). We intend to capitalize on the ability of our sponsor team to identify and acquire and advise a business that can benefit from our founders’ management expertise and disciplined approach to capital allocation and investment oversight. We intend to effectuate our initial Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our IPO and the private placement of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
The issuance of additional shares in a Business Combination:
 
   
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the IPO, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in our Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of our Class A common stock on a greater than
one-to-one
basis upon conversion of our Class B common stock;
 
   
may subordinate the rights of holders of our Class A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A common stock;
 
   
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our Class A 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;
 
   
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and
 
   
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A common stock and/or warrants.
 
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Similarly, if we issue debt securities, or otherwise incur significant debt, it could result in:
 
   
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial Business Combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
 
   
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
 
   
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
 
   
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
 
   
our inability to pay dividends on our common or preferred stock;
 
   
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general corporate purposes;
 
   
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
 
   
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
 
   
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements and execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial Business Combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial Business Combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any significant business operations nor generated any revenues to date. All activities to date relate to our formation and IPO. We will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a business combination, at the earliest. We will
generate non-operating income
in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the IPO. We have selected December 31 as our fiscal year end.
For the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had net income of $4,433,246, which consisted of $501,433 in formation, general and administrative expenses incurred as well as $1,359,240 in offering expense related to warrant issuance offset by $18,919 in gain on Investment Held in Trust Account and $6,275,000 in change on the fair value of warrant liabilities.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021 we had approximately $2,132,242 in cash in our operating bank account, and working capital of approximately $2,260,912.
Our liquidity needs up to and through our IPO had been met through payment of $25,000 from the sale of the Founder Shares (as defined in Note 4) to our Sponsor and the loan under an unsecured promissory note (the “Promissory Note”) from the Sponsor of up to $300,000. The Promissory Note was fully repaid in connection with the IPO and there is no balance outstanding as of December 31, 2021.
On October 4, 2021, we completed the sale of 20,000,000 units (the “Units”) at $10.00 per Unit generating gross proceeds of $200,000,000 in our IPO. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we completed the sale of 7,600,000 private placement warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to certain funds and accounts managed by our Sponsor as well as to Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), who acted as the sole book running manager for our IPO, generating gross proceeds of $7,600,000 from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants.
An aggregate of $10.00 per Unit sold in the IPO was held in the Trust Account and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of
Rule 2a-7 of
the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company.
 
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As of December 31, 2021 we had $200,018,919 in Investment held in Trust Account. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial Business Combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes, if any. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account. We expect the only taxes payable by us out of the funds in the trust account will be income and franchise taxes, if any. To the extent that our common stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
We will use the funds held outside of the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the Trust Account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial Business Combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that our initial Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used to repay such loaned amounts.. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our Trust Account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during the period between the consummation of our IPO and consummation of our Business Combination to include approximately $750,000 for D&O insurance; $850,000 for legal, accounting, and consulting costs in connection with any Business Combinations; $250,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $90,000 for Nasdaq continued listing fees; $360,000 for administrative, financial and support services; $270,000 for general working capital and support costs; $100,000 of liquidation reserve; and $230,000 for any other fees, including franchise taxes.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund
a “no-shop” provision
(a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed Business Combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund
a “no-shop”
provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific Business Combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following the IPO in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business,
undertaking in-depth due
diligence and negotiating an initial Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial
 
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Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial Business Combination either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our Trust Account, or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public Shares upon completion of our Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our Business Combination. If we do not complete our initial Business Combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. In addition, following our initial Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Off-Balance
Sheet Financing Arrangements
We did not have any
off-balance
sheet arrangement as of December 31, 2021 as defined in 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation
S-K.
Contractual Obligations
As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any long-term debt, capital or operating lease obligations.
The holders of our Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of our initial Business Combination.
Pursuant to the underwriting agreement with our IPO underwriter, the IPO underwriter will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit sold in the IPO, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
We have committed to pay up to $15,000 per month to our Sponsor for administrative, financial and support services provided to members of our sponsor team. This administrative service arrangement will terminate upon completion of our initial Business Combination or liquidation of the Company. We have incurred $30,000 pursuant to this agreement through December 31, 2021.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Management’s discussion and analysis of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources are based on our unaudited financial information. We describe our significant accounting policies in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
Our unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Certain of our accounting policies require that management apply significant judgments in defining the appropriate assumptions integral to financial estimates. On an ongoing basis, management reviews the accounting policies, assumptions, estimates and judgments to ensure that our financial statements are presented fairly and in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Judgments are based on historical experience, terms of existing contracts, industry trends and information available from outside sources, as appropriate. However, by their nature, judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty, and, therefore, actual results could differ from our estimates.
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued
ASU No. 2020-06, Accounting
for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The update simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by removing certain separation models in
Subtopic 470-20, Debt—Debt
with Conversion and Other Options for convertible instruments and introducing other changes. As a result of
ASU No. 2020-06, more
convertible debt instruments will be accounted for as a single liability measured at amortized cost and more convertible preferred stock will be
 
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accounted for as a single equity instrument measured at historical cost, as long as no features require bifurcation and recognition as derivatives. The amendments are effective for smaller reporting companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing what impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
We do not believe that any other recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
JOBS Act
The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act and are allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for
non-emerging
growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of
non-emerging
growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the independent registered public accounting firm’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of the IPO or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The financial statements required to be filed pursuant to this Item 8 are appended to this report. An index of those financial statements is found in Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Limitations on effectiveness of controls and procedures
In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
 
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Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as such term is defined in Rules
13a-15(e)
and
15d-15(e)
under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer have concluded that during the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting
This Annual Report on Form
10-K
does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules
13a-15(f)
and
15d-15(f)
under the Exchange Act) or an attestation report of our independent registered accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in internal control over financial reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the year ended December 31, 2021 covered by this Annual Report on Form
10-K
that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information.
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
Not Applicable.
 
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The following table provides information regarding our executive officers and members of our board of directors (ages as of the date of this Annual Report on Form
10-K):
 
Name
  
Age
  
Position
Daniel Ciporin
   64    Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Jonathan Rosenzweig
   53    Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director
Michael A. DeSimone
   56    Director
Michele Docharty
   54    Director
Ross Fubini
   46    Director
Rhonda Ramparas
   46    Director
The experience of our directors and executive officers is as follows:
Executive Officers
Daniel Ciporin
Mr. Ciporin has served as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and a director since our inception in March 2021. Mr. Ciporin served as a General Partner at Canaan Partners, a leading institutional venture capital firm that was founded over 30 years ago, from early 2007 until his retirement at the end of 2020. At Canaan Partners, Mr. Ciporin specialized in financial technology, marketplaces, and
e-commerce
investments. While at Canaan Partners, he led investments in 19 different companies with a multiple on invested capital (MOIC) of approximately 4.3x. He was a member of the boards of publicly held Lending Club (NYSE: LC), as well as numerous private companies including ShopKeep, Bellhop, Bumped, Bond, CircleUp, Ollie, Ephemeral Solutions, Inc., Homeis and JOOR among others. Mr. Ciporin has also served on the boards of several other publicly held companies, including Borderfree (where he was also chairman) (formerly NASDAQ: BRDR prior to its acquisition by Pitney Bowes International in 2015), Primedia (formerly NYSE: PRM), VistaPrint (formerly NASDAQ: VPRT), and Corel (NASDAQ: CREL). He is the former Chairman and CEO of Shopping.com (formerly NASDAQ: SHOP), where he oversaw growth from approximately zero to approximately $100 million in revenue in six years, culminating in the company’s IPO in October 2004 and later acquisition by eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) in 2005. Prior to Shopping.com, Mr. Ciporin served as senior vice president of MasterCard International, where he managed global debit services. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Yale University’s School of Management (SOM), where he also sits on the SOM Board of Advisors. We believe Mr. Ciporin is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience, relationships and contacts.
Jonathan Rosenzweig
Mr. Rosenzweig has served as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary and a director since our inception in March 2021. Mr. Rosenzweig also currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Eden Global Partners, a private equity fund. Before joining Home Plate, Mr. Rosenzweig served as a Managing Director and Head of Americas Equity Research at Citigroup (NYSE: C) from 2007 until 2020. In this role, Mr. Rosenzweig was responsible for all equity research product in North America and Latin America for more than 13 years. Prior to that position, Mr. Rosenzweig served as a Deputy Director and Associate Director of U.S. Research at Citigroup for five years. From 1993–2002, Mr. Rosenzweig was a Senior Analyst covering the Imaging sector within Citi Research, including an array of Technology, Commercial and Consumer stocks. He provided detailed analysis, financial forecasts and investment recommendations for institutional investors at top asset management firms and hedge funds. During his career, he covered companies such as Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE), Macromedia (formerly NASDAQ: MACR), Electronics for Imaging (formerly NASDAQ: EFII), 3M (NYSE: MMM), Xerox (NYSE: XRX), Ikon Office Solutions (formerly NYSE: IKN), and Eastman Kodak (NYSE: KODK), among others. Mr. Rosenzweig earned a top 2 ranking from Institutional Investor Magazine for the sector each year from 1997–2002. Prior to Citigroup, Mr.
 
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Rosenzweig worked as a Financial Analyst at Duke University Management Company. Since June 2021, Mr. Rosenzweig has served as a member of the board of directors of eThematics. Mr. Rosenzweig holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Duke University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. We believe Mr. Rosenzweig is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience, relationships and contacts.
Michael A. DeSimone
Mr. DeSimone has served as a director since October 2021. Mr. DeSimone is currently a general manager at Lightspeed USA Commerce Inc., a company that provides a smart commerce platform to more than 100,000 independent retailers, restaurants, and golf course operators around the world. Prior to its sale to Lightspeed, Mr. DeSimone was the President and CEO of ShopKeep, a cloud-based technology solution that transforms an iPad into a smart, connected cash register that is used by more than 24,000 small businesses, from 2015 through the acquisition of the company by Lightspeed in November 2020. Mr. DeSimone is a global chief executive, with more than 30 years of experience working within the financial services and technology industry. As President and CEO at ShopKeep, Mr. DeSimone led the strategy to sustainably grow and scale the business, which processed approximately $8 billion in transactions in 2019. Prior to joining ShopKeep, Mr. DeSimone was President and CEO of Borderfree (formerly NASDAQ: BRDR prior to its acquisition by Pitney Bowes International in 2015), where he was responsible for the overall strategic direction including the company’s transformation from an online currency conversion service to a provider of global ecommerce solutions. He led the company through their successful IPO in 2014 and its sale to Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI) in 2015. He was also a member of the board of Rewards Web Inc. from 2015 until 2021. Mr. DeSimone has also earned recognition on the Smart CEO’s Future 50 list in 2015 and was named a finalist for the Ernst & Young 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year award. We believe Mr. DeSimone is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience, relationships and contacts.
Michele Docharty
Ms. Docharty has served as a director since October 2021. Ms. Docharty is a seasoned financial services executive with over 30 years of experience at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), including 10 years as a Partner. Ms. Docharty most recently served as the Americas Head of Execution Services, responsible for the firm’s equity sales trading activities, and the Global
Co-head
of Synthetics Distribution within the Global Markets Division. Ms. Docharty’s extensive knowledge of the asset managers and hedge funds, along with her track record of leading large sales and distribution teams in complex transactional businesses, provide her with a unique perspective on markets and what matters most to equity investors. Among her many roles at Goldman Sachs, Ms. Docharty contributed to the launch and development of the firm’s externalization of data for investing clients, and she led the governance group overseeing that transition. Ms. Docharty has experience with both the uses and the role of data as a product in the financial services sector. Ms. Docharty has built a reputation for leadership, innovation and client driven solutions for equity markets. At Goldman Sachs, Ms. Docharty drove collaboration with engineers to transition risk tools for clients onto the firm’s digital storefront, restructured the firm’s corporate access business globally, and directed the firm’s New Product Marketing team. Ms. Docharty served as Founder and Chair of the Data Services Operating Group, as well as Chair of the Equities Best Execution
Sub-committee.
At different points in her career, Ms. Docharty managed the Latin American Equity business, participated as a member of the Global Markets Operating Committee, the Americas Inclusion and Diversity Committee, and the Marquee Advisory Committee, and served as a Senior Member of the Firmwide Hispanic/Latinx Network. Since September 2021, Ms. Docharty has served as a member of the board of directors of Neuberger Berman since September 2021 and has served as a member of the board of HYPR, a passwordless authentication platform, since January 2022. Ms. Docharty holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and currently serves on the Board of Advisors. In addition, Ms. Docharty was named to ALPFAs 50 most Powerful Latinas in 2018, 2019, 2020 and to Latino Leaders Magazine’s top 100 most influential Latinas in 2020. We believe Ms. Docharty is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to her extensive experience, relationships and contacts.
 
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Ross Fubini
Mr. Fubini has served as a director since October 2021. Mr. Fubini is an early stage technology investor. Mr. Fubini founded and has served as Managing Director of XYZ Ventures, a venture capital investment firm since 2017. He also
co-founded
Village Global, a global investment firm, in 2017. Mr. Fubini is a board member of BeyondHQ, Piazza Technologies, Legion, Beneficial State Bank, LifeRaft Risk Technologies, Inc., Saltbox, Inc., Oro Labs, Inc., Auxilius Inc., Pebble Health Inc., Bureau Inc., Sardine, Inc. and Smash. Mr. Fubini’s investments include Lendup, Optimizely, and Metromile (NASDAQ: MILE). Prior to XYZ, Mr. Fubini was a partner at Canaan Partners from 2012 to 2015, and Kapor Capital from 2011 to 2012, where he focused on defensible businesses across enterprise applications, FinTech and healthcare IT spaces. Mr. Fubini
co-founded
and grew CubeTree, a Gartner Visionary enterprise social collaboration company. After CubeTree was acquired by SuccessFactors (formerly NYSE: SFSF, now an SAP company) in 2010, Mr. Fubini served as a vice president of Success Factors. Mr. Fubini also held engineering leadership roles at Symantec (formerly NASDAQ: SYMC), BEA/Plumtree (formerly NASDAQ: PLUM), TellMe Networks, and Netscape (formerly NASDAQ: NSCP). He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and Art from Carnegie Mellon University. We believe Mr. Fubini is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience, relationships and contacts.
Rhonda Ramparas
Ms. Ramparas has served as a director since October 2021. Ms. Ramparas has over 20 years of private equity, capital markets, general management, and finance experience. Since December 2021, Ms. Ramparas has served as a Senior Managing Director of British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. Ms. Ramparas has also consulted for several ecommerce and private equity investment companies. Ms. Ramparas was previously the CFO of Boxed, an ecommerce technology company, from 2019 to April 2021, prior to which Ms. Ramparas was a Managing Director in the Private Equity Group at Fortress Investment Group for 17 years, where she invested in, built and managed companies across a broad array of industries including consumer finance, insurance, and transportation. While at Fortress, her track record of managing investments in complex financial services businesses included serving as interim CEO of Alea Insurance Group and leading the exit strategy of many portfolio companies. Prior to joining Fortress in 2001, Ms. Ramparas held various investment banking roles at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS). Ms. Ramparas holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University. We believe Ms. Ramparas is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to her extensive experience, relationships and contacts.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with 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 year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Ms. Docharty and Mr. DeSimone will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Ms. Ramparas and Mr. Fubini, will expire at our second annual meeting of the stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Daniel Ciporin and Jonathan Rosenzweig, will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we complete our initial business combination.
Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with our IPO, our sponsor, upon completion of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate up to three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration rights agreement.
 
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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 nominate persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers may consist of one or more chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, vice presidents, secretary, treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our IPO. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. DeSimone, Ms. Docharty, Mr. Fubini and Ms. Ramparas are “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. We expect our independent directors to have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to
phase-in
rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to
phase-in
rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
Ms. Ramparas, Mr. Fubini and Mr. DeSimone serve as members of our audit committee. Our board of directors has determined that each of Ms. Ramparas, Mr. Fubini and Mr. DeSimone are independent under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Ms. Ramparas serves as the chairman of the audit committee. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Ms. Ramparas qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
The primary functions of the audit committee include:
 
   
appointing, compensating and overseeing our independent registered public accounting firm;
 
   
reviewing and approving the annual audit plan for the Company;
 
   
overseeing the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
 
   
discussing the annual audited financial statements and unaudited quarterly financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm;
 
   
pre-approving
all audit services and permitted
non-audit
services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;
 
   
appointing or replacing the independent registered public accounting firm;
 
   
establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints (including anonymous complaints) we receive concerning accounting, internal accounting controls, auditing matters or potential violations of law;
 
   
monitoring our environmental sustainability and governance practices;
 
   
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;
 
   
approving audit and
non-audit
services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm;
 
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discussing earnings press releases and financial information provided to analysts and rating agencies;
 
   
discussing with management our policies and practices with respect to risk assessment and risk management;
 
   
reviewing any material transaction between our Chief Financial Officer that has been approved in accordance with our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct for our officers, and providing prior written approval of any material transaction between us and our President; and
 
   
producing an annual report for inclusion in our proxy statement, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
The audit committee is a separately designated standing committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act.
Compensation Committee
Mr. Fubini, Ms. Ramparas and Ms. Docharty serve as members of our compensation committee and Mr. Fubini serves as chairman of the compensation committee.
Under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our board of directors has determined that each Mr. Fubini, Ms. Ramparas and Ms. Docharty are independent. In connection with our IPO, we adopted a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
 
   
reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to our executive officers’ compensation, evaluating our executive officers’ performance in light of those goals and objectives, and setting our executive officers’ compensation level based on this evaluation;
 
   
setting salaries and approving incentive compensation and equity awards, as well as compensation policies, for all other officers who file reports of their ownership, and changes in ownership, of the common stock under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act (the “Section 16 Officers”), as designated by our board of directors;
 
   
making recommendations to the board with respect to incentive compensation programs and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval;
 
   
approving any employment or severance agreements with our Section 16 Officers;
 
   
granting any awards under equity compensation plans and annual bonus plans to the Section 16 Officers;
 
   
approving the compensation of our directors; and
 
   
producing an annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in our proxy statement, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by our board of directors. Our 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 shall participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Mr. DeSimone, Ms. Docharty, Mr. Fubini, and Ms. Ramparas. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(1)(A) 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.
 
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Our 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 the 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, our 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.
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 our company and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. 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 business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor and each member of our sponsor team may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor and members of our sponsor team could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties, contractual obligations or other material management relationships:
 
INDIVIDUAL
  
ENTITY
  
ENTITY’S BUSINESS
  
AFFILIATION
Daniel Ciporin         
Jonathan Rosenzweig    eThematics   
Start-up
allowing individuals to invest alongside experienced Portfolio Managers in specific themes
   Director
     Eden Global Partners    Private Equity Fund    Senior Advisor
Michael A. DeSimone    Lightspeed USA Commerce Inc.    Commerce Technology    General Manager
Michele Docharty    Georgetown McDonough School of Business    Education    Advisory Board
     Neuberger Berman    Investment Firm    Director
 
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   HYPR    Passwordless Authentication Platform    Director
Ross Fubini    XYZ Ventures    Venture Capital Investment Firm    Founder and Managing Director
   Village Global    Early-stage Venture Capital Firm   
Co-Founder
and Partner
   BeyondHQ    Collaborative SaaS platform helping companies run talent and real estate analyses    Director
   Piazza Technologies    Web service connecting students, teacher assistants and professors    Director
   Legion    AI powered/cloud native workforce management platform    Director
   Beneficial State Bank    Community Development Bank    Director
   LifeRaft Risk Technologies, Inc.    Technology Powered Insurance provider    Director
   Saltbox, Inc.    Flexible lease space/technology service provider    Director
   Oro Labs, Inc.    Enterprise Software    Director
   Auxilius Inc.    Enterprise Software    Director
   Pebble Health Inc.    Technology powered health insurance provider    Director
   Bureau Inc.    Fintech fraud prevention platform    Director
   Sardine, Inc.    Fintech fraud prevention platform    Director
   SMASH   
Non-profit
(Education)
   Director
Rhonda Ramparas    British Columbia Investment Management Corporation    Pension Fund Manager    Senior Managing Director
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
 
   
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.
 
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Our sponsor subscribed for founder shares prior to the date of our IPO and purchased private placement warrants in a transaction that closed simultaneously with the closing of our IPO.
 
   
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. The public anchor investors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our IPO. Additionally, each of our initial stockholders has agreed to waive his, her or its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. Except as described herein, our sponsor, directors, officers and anchor investors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any
30-trading
day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. The private placement warrants will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination. Because each of our officers and directors will own and/or have an interest in common stock and warrants directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
 
   
Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Furthermore, in no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, be paid by the company any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of the above-mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, holders of our founder shares (including the public anchor investors) have agreed to vote their founder shares, and our sponsor and directors have agreed to vote any shares purchased during or after our IPO, in favor of our initial business combination.
 
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Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.
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 such indemnification.
We have purchased a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors. Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we complete an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors 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 officers and directors.
Code of Ethics and Business Conduct
We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct applicable to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct is available on the investor relations page of our website at
homeplateacq.com/investor-relations
. The information contained on or accessible through our corporate website or any other website that we may maintain is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and in a Current Report on Form
8-K.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than ten percent of our common stock to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. These reporting persons are also required to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely upon a review of such forms, we believe that during the year ended December 31, 2021 there were no delinquent filers.
 
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Item 11. Executive Compensation.
None of our officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on Nasdaq through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay up to $15,000 per month to our sponsor for administrative, financial and support services. Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any
out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their
out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and completing an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, members of our sponsor team who remain with us, or their affiliates, may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to members of our sponsor team. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our sponsor team maintain their positions with us after the completion of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 14, 2022 based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of common stock, 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 executive officers and directors that beneficially owns shares of common stock; and
 
   
all our executive officers and directors as a group.
 
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In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 20,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock and 5,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock issued and outstanding as of March 14, 2022. Voting power represents the voting power of shares of common stock owned beneficially by such person. Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all common stock beneficially owned by them.
 
    
Class A Common Stock
   
Class B Common Stock
       
Name and Address of
Beneficial Owner
(1)
  
Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
    
Percentage of
Class
Beneficially
Owned
   
Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
    
Percentage
of Class
Beneficially
Owned
   
Percentage of
Common Stock
Beneficially
Owned
 
Home Plate Sponsor LLC
(2) (3)
     3,550,000        14.2     3,550,000        71.0     14.2
Daniel Ciporin
(2) (3)(4)
     3,550,000        14.2     3,550,000        71.0     14.2
Jonathan Rosenzweig
(2) (5)
     —          —         —          —         —    
Michael A. DeSimone
(2) (6)
     25,000               25,000                 
Michele Docharty
(2) (6)
     25,000               25,000                 
Ross Fubini
(2) (6)
     25,000               25,000                 
Rhonda Ramparas
(2)
(7)
     25,000               25,000                 
All officers and directors as a group
(2)
     3,650,000        14.6     3,650,000        73.0     73.0
            
Other 5% Shareholders
            
UBS O’Connor LLC
(8)
     1,980,000        9.9     —          —         7.9
Entities Associated with Apollo Capital Management, L.P.
(9)
     1,980,000        9.9     —          —         7.9
Entities Associated with Atalaya Capital Management LP
(10)
     1,609,146        8.0     —          —         6.4
Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.
(11)
     1,480,000        7.4     —          —         5.9
Entities associated with Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P.
 (12)
     1,441,715        7.2     —          —         5.8
Periscope Capital Inc.
(13)
     1,254,100        6.3     —          —         5.0
 
*
Less than one percent.
(1)
Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of our stockholders is P.O. Box 1314, New York, NY 10028.
(2)
Consists solely of shares of Class B shares common stock. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock on a
one-for-one
basis, subject to adjustment, on the first business day following the completion of our initial business combination.
(3)
Our sponsor is controlled by Mr. Ciporin. Mr. Ciporin indirectly has voting and dispositive power over the founder shares held by our sponsor and may be deemed to beneficially own the founder shares. Mr. Ciporin disclaims beneficial ownership of the founder shares held by our sponsor other than to the extent of his pecuniary interest in such founder shares. Each of our officers and directors are direct or indirect members of our sponsor.
(4)
Includes an indirect pecuniary interest in (i) 793,272 founder shares owned by our sponsor as a result of his membership interest in our sponsor and (ii) 84,133 founder shares owned by our sponsor as a result of the membership interest of the Daniel Ciporin 2014 Trust dated 02/24/2014 in our sponsor.
(5)
Excludes an indirect pecuniary interest in 422,454 founder shares owned by our sponsor as a result of his membership interest in our sponsor. Mr. Rosenzweig does not currently have voting or dispositive power over such founder shares.
(6)
Excludes an indirect pecuniary interest in 22,849 founder shares owned by our sponsor as a result of his or her membership interest in our sponsor since such director does not currently have voting or dispositive power over such founder shares.
(7)
Excludes an indirect pecuniary interest in 17,136 founder shares owned by our sponsor as a result of her membership interest in our sponsor since such director does not currently have voting or dispositive power over such founder shares.
(8)
Based solely on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022 by UBS O’Connor LLC. UBS O’Connor LLC has sole voting and dispositive power over 1,980,000 shares of Class A common stock. The address of UBS O’Connor LLC is One North Wacker Drive, 31st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
 
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(9)
Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on October 12, 2021 by (i) Apollo Atlas Master Fund, LLC (“Atlas”); (ii) Apollo Atlas Management, LLC (“Atlas Management”); (iii) Apollo PPF Credit Strategies, LLC (“PPF Credit Strategies”); (iv) Apollo Credit Strategies Master Fund Ltd. (“Credit Strategies”); (v) Apollo ST Fund Management LLC (“ST Management”); (vi) Apollo ST Operating LP (“ST Operating”); (vii) Apollo ST Capital LLC (“ST Capital”); (viii) ST Management Holdings, LLC (“ST Management Holdings”); (ix) Apollo
A-N
Credit Fund (Delaware), L.P.
(“A-N
Credit”); (x) Apollo
A-N
Credit Management, LLC
(“A-N
Credit Management”); (xi) Apollo SPAC Fund I, L.P. (“SPAC Fund I”); (xii) Apollo SPAC Management I, L.P. (“SPAC Management I”); (xiii) Apollo SPAC Management I GP, LLC (“SPAC Management I GP”); (xiv) Apollo Capital Management, L.P. (“Capital Management”); (xv) Apollo Capital Management GP, LLC (“Capital Management GP”); (xvi) Apollo Management Holdings, L.P. (“Management Holdings”); and (xvii) Apollo Management Holdings GP, LLC (“Management Holdings GP”). All shares reported are owned by SPAC Fund I, Atlas, PPF Credit Strategies, Credit Strategies and
A-N
Credit, which own 500,000, 59,717, 149,595, 1,188,135 and 82,553 shares, respectively. Atlas Management serves as the investment manager of Atlas. Credit Strategies is the sole member of PPF Credit Strategies. ST Management serves as the investment manager for Credit Strategies. ST Operating is the sole member of ST Management. The general partner of ST Operating is ST Capital. ST Management Holdings is the sole member of ST Capital.
A-N
Credit Management serves as the investment manager for
A-N
Credit. SPAC Management I serves as the investment manager for SPAC Fund I. The general partner of SPAC Management I is SPAC Management I GP. Capital Management serves as the sole member of Atlas Management,
A-N
Credit Management, SPAC Management I GP, and SA Management, and as the sole member and manager of ST Management Holdings. Capital Management GP serves as the general partner of Capital Management. Management Holdings serves as the sole member and manager of Capital Management GP, and Management Holdings GP serves as the general partner of Management Holdings. The principal office of each of Atlas, PPF Credit Strategies,
A-N
Credit, and SPAC Fund I is One Manhattanville Road, Suite 201, Purchase, New York 10577. The principal office of Credit Strategies is c/o Walkers Corporate Limited, Cayman Corporate Centre, 27 Hospital Road, George Town, Grand Cayman,
KY-9008,
Cayman Islands. The principal office of each of Atlas Management, ST Management, ST Operating, ST Capital, ST Management Holdings,
A-N
Credit Management, SPAC Management I, SPAC Management I GP, Capital Management, Capital Management GP, Management Holdings, and Management Holdings GP is 9 W. 57th Street, 43rd Floor, New York, New York 10019.
(10)
Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on December 14, 2021 by (i) Atalaya Capital Management LP (“ACM”), (ii) Atalaya Special Purpose Investment Fund II LP (ASPIF), (iii) ACM ASOF VII (Cayman) Holdco LP (“ASOF”), (iv) ACM Alameda Special Purpose Investment Fund II LP (“Alameda”), (v) ACM Alamosa (Cayman) Holdco LP (“Alamosa”), (vi) Corbin ERISA Opportunity Fund, Ltd. (“CEOF”), (vii) Corbin Capital Partners GP, LLC (“Corbin GP”), and (viii) Corbin Capital Partners, L.P. (“CCP”). ASPIF, ASOF, Alameda and Alamosa may be deemed to beneficially own 264,330, 370,854, 232,650, and 741, 312 shares of Class A common stock, respectively. Each of Corbin GP and CCP may be deemed the beneficial owner of 370,854 shares of Class A common stock, which amount includes the 370,854 shares deemed beneficially owned by CEOF. As the investment manager of ASPIF, ASOF, Alameda and Almosa, ACM has the power to vote and direct the disposition of all shares held by each of the foregoing. As CEOF’s investment manager, CCP has the power to vote and direct the disposition of all shares held by CEOF and COF. Each of Corbin GP and CCP may be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares held of record by CEOF.. The address of the principal business office of each of ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda, Alamosa and ACM is One Rockefeller Plaza, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10020. The address of the principal business office of each of CEOF, Corbin GP and CCP is 590 Madison Avenue, 31st Floor, New York, NY 10022.
(11)
Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 3, 2022 by Polar Asset Management Partners Inc., Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. serves as the investment advisor to Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“PMSMF”) with respect to the shares directly held by PMSMF. The address of the business office of the Reporting Person is 16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON, Canada M5J 0E6.
(12)
Based solely on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC by Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P. on February 14, 2022. Consists of shares beneficially owned by Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P., RGC Management Company, LLC, Steven B. Katznelson, Christopher Hinkel, Radcliffe SPAC Master Fund, L.P. and Radcliffe SPAC GP, LLC. Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P. is the relevant entity for which RGC Management Company, LLC, Steven B. Katznelson and Christopher Hinkel may be considered control persons. Radcliffe SPAC Master Fund, L.P. is the relevant entity for which Radcliffe SPAC GP, LLC, Steven B. Katznelson and Christopher Hinkel may be considered control persons. The principal business address of these individuals and entities is 50 Monument Road, Suite 300, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania 19004.
(13)
Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed on behalf of Periscope Capital Inc. with the SEC on February 14, 2022. Periscope Capital Inc., which is the beneficial owner of 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock, acts as investment manager of, and exercises investment discretion with respect to, certain private investment funds that collectively directly own 254,100 shares of Common Stock. The address of Periscope Capital Inc. is 333 Bay Street, Suite 1240, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2R2.
Our initial stockholders beneficially own 20% of the issued and outstanding common stock and have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares do not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination.
 
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The holders of the founder shares have agreed (a) to vote any founder shares owned by it in favor of any proposed business combination (subject to the public anchor investors right to abstain from voting) and (b) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor and our officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Prior to our IPO, our initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of our IPO. Our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares following the expiration of the IPO underwriter’s unexercised over-allotment option in connection with the IPO. The founder shares (including the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
On May 5, 2021, our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to IPO pursuant to the
non-interest
bearing Promissory Note. We borrowed an aggregate of $266,912 under the Promissory Note which was repaid in full as of October 4, 2021.
Our sponsor and Jefferies purchased an aggregate of 7,600,000 private placement warrants for a purchase price of $1.00 per whole warrant in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the closing of our IPO. Among the private placement warrants, 6,600,000 warrants were purchased by our sponsor and/or its designees and 1,000,000 warrants were purchased by Jefferies and/or its designees. As such, our sponsor’s and Jefferies’ interest in such transaction is valued at $7,600,000. Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants (including the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
We currently maintain our executive offices at P.O. Box 1314, New York, NY 10028. We will pay up to $15,000 per month to our sponsor for administrative, financial and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any
out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of
out-of-pocket
expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
 
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In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our sponsor team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.     
We entered into a registration rights agreement pursuant to which our sponsor will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the private placement warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement, our sponsor, upon completion of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate up to three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration rights agreement.
Our sponsor and our directors and executive officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination, or (b) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any
30-trading
day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares.
Certain anchor investors (including certain funds managed by UBS O’Connor, LLC and none of whom are affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors) purchased an aggregate of 19,800,000 units in the IPO. With respect to the common stock underlying the units, the anchor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account as the rights afforded to our public stockholders. In addition, the units (including the underlying securities) purchased by the anchor investors will not be subject to any agreements restricting their transfer. The anchor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, shares of Class A common stock or warrants they purchased in our IPO or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any shares of Class A 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 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 consideration of the purchase of units in the IPO, our sponsor entered into an investment agreement with each of the anchor investors (other than those funds managed by UBS O’Connor) pursuant to which the sponsor sold an aggregate of 1,350,000 founder shares at their original purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share. The anchor investors have agreed to (a) vote any founder shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination (subject to the right to abstain from voting) and (b) subject any founder shares held by them to the same
lock-up
restrictions as the founder shares held by our sponsor and independent directors.
 
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In addition, each of the UBS O’Connor anchor investors have agreed that if they, together with their affiliates (i) purchased less than 9.9% of the units sold in the IPO or (ii) purchase and, but do not hold, 9.9% of the shares sold in our IPO through the date that is thirty (30) days following the consummation of our initial business combination, they will forfeit, for no additional consideration or refund, a pro rata portion (up to 75%) of their interest in the founder shares held by our sponsor.
The anchor investors as a group have substantial control over us and may be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, and the extent of their influence will be even more significant if they purchase more of our securities after our IPO.
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors has adopted a charter, providing for the review, approval and/or ratification of “related party transactions,” which are those transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation
S-K
as promulgated by the SEC, by the audit committee. At its meetings, the audit committee shall be provided with the details of each new, existing or proposed related party transaction, including the terms of the transaction, any contractual restrictions that the company has already committed to, the business purpose of the transaction and the benefits of the transaction to the company and to the relevant related party. Any member of the committee who has an interest in the related party transaction under review by the committee shall abstain from voting on the approval of the related party transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the committee, participate in some or all of the committee’s discussions of the related party transaction. Upon completion of its review of the related party transaction, the committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the related party transaction.
Sponsor Indemnity
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third-party (other than the our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third-party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The following is a summary of the fees of Marcum LLP for services rendered and billed to the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Audit Fees.
Audit fees consist of fees for professional services rendered for the audit of our
year-end
financial statements and services that are normally provided by Marcum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees of Marcum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and other required filings with the SEC for the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 totaled approximately $44,805. The aggregate fees of Marcum related to audit services in connection with our IPO totaled approximately $64,441. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.
Audit-Related Fees
. Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. During the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 we did not pay Marcum any audit-related fees.
Tax Fees.
We did not pay Marcum for tax services, planning or advice for the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
 
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All Other Fees
. We did not pay Marcum for any other services for the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Pre-Approval
Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our IPO. As a result, the audit committee did not
pre-approve
all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will
pre-approve
all auditing services and permitted
non-audit
services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for
non-audit
services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
 
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1) Financial Statements.
The following documents are included on pages
F-1
through
F-22
attached hereto and are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules.
All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the amounts are immaterial and not required, or the required information is presented in the financial statements and notes beginning on page
F-1
of this Report.
(a)(3) Exhibits.
The following is a list of exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report on Form
10-K.
 
         
Incorporated by Reference
    
Filed/
Furnished
Herewith
 
Exhibit
Number
  
Exhibit Description
  
Form
    
File No.
    
Exhibit
    
Filing
Date
 
3.1    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation     
8-K
      
001-40844
       3.1        10/5/21     
3.3    Bylaws     
S-1
      
333-259324
       3.3        9/3/21     
4.1    Specimen Unit Certificate     
S-1
      
333-259324
       4.1        9/3/21     
4.2    Specimen Class A Common Stock Certificate     
S-1
      
333-259324
       4.2        9/3/21     
4.3    Specimen Warrant Certificate     
S-1
      
333-259324
       4.3        9/3/21     
4.4    Warrant Agreement, dated September 29, 2021, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company     
8-K
      
001-40844
       4.1        10/5/21     
4.5    Description of Registered Securities                  *  
10.1    Letter Agreement, dated September 29, 2021, by and between the Company and Home Plate Sponsor LLC     
8-K
      
001-40844
       10.1        10/5/21     
10.2    Letter Agreement, dated September 29, by and between the Company and each of the executive officers, directors and initial stockholders of the Company     
8-K
      
001-40844
       10.2        10/5/21     
10.3    Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated September 29, 2021, between the Company and Continental Transfer & Trust Company     
8-K
      
001-40844
       10.3        10/5/21     
10.4    Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 29, 2021, among the Company, the sponsor and certain security holders     
8-K
      
001-40844
       10.4        10/5/21     
10.5    Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, dated September 29, 2021, between the Company and the sponsor     
8-K
      
001-40844
       10.5        10/5/21     
10.6    Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, dated September 29, 2021, between the Company and Jeffries, LLC     
8-K
      
001-40844
       10.6        10/5/21     
10.7    Administrative Services Agreement, dated September 29, 2021, between the Company and the sponsor     
8-K
      
001-40844
       10.8        10/5/21     
10.8    Promissory Note, dated March 24, 2021, issued to the sponsor     
S-1
      
333-259324
       10.6        9/3/21     
10.9    Securities Subscription Agreement, dated May 5, 2021, between the Registrant and the sponsor     
S-1
      
333-259324
       10.7        9/3/21     
 
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Incorporated by Reference
    
Filed/

Furnished

Herewith
Exhibit
Number
  
Exhibit Description
  
Form
    
File No.
    
Exhibit
    
Filing
Date
 
31.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a).                *
31.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a).                *
32.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.                **
32.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.                **
101.INS    Inline XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document                *
101.SCH    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document                *
101.CAL    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document                *
101.DEF    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document                *
101.LAB    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document                *
101.PRE    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document                *
104    Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)                *
 
*
Filed herewith.
**
Furnished herewith.
Item 16. Form
10-K
Summary.
None.
 
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
    HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
Date: March 16, 2022     By:   /s/ Daniel Ciporin
     
Daniel Ciporin
     
Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
 
Name
  
Title
 
Date
/s/ Daniel Ciporin    Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director   March 16, 2022
Daniel Ciporin
   (
Principal Executive Officer)
 
/s/ Jonathan Rosenzweig   
Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director
  March 16, 2022
Jonathan Rosenzweig
  
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer
)
 
/s/ Michael A. DeSimone
  
Director
  March 16, 2022
Michael A. DeSimone
    
/s/ Michele Docharty
  
Director
  March 16, 2022
Michele Docharty
    
/s/ Ross Fubini
  
Director
  March 16, 2022
Ross Fubini
    
/s/ Rhonda Ramparas    Director   March 16, 2022
Rhonda Ramparas
    
 
 
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HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
 
  
Page
 
  
 
F-2
 
  
 
F-3
 
  
 
F-4
 
  
 
F-5
 
  
 
F-6
 
  
 
F-7
 
 
F-1

Table of Contents
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM (MARCUM LLP,
HARTFORD, CT, PCAOB ID# 688)
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Home Plate Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Home Plate Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 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 December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum
LLP
Marcum
LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
Hartford, CT
March 16, 2022
 
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Table of Contents
HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEET DECEMBER 31, 2021
 
ASSETS
        
Current Assets:
        
Cash
   $ 2,132,242  
Prepaid expenses
     399,089  
    
 
 
 
Total Current Assets
     2,531,331  
Prepaid expenses –
non-current
portion
     281,346  
Investment held in Trust Account
     200,018,919  
    
 
 
 
Total Assets
  
$
202,831,596
 
    
 
 
 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
        
Current Liabilities:
        
Accrued expenses
   $ 270,419  
    
 
 
 
Total Current Liabilities
     270,419  
Warrant liability
     9,656,000  
Deferred underwriter fee payable
     7,000,000  
    
 
 
 
Total Liabilities
     16,926,419  
    
 
 
 
Commitments and Contingencies
      
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, 20,000,000 shares at a redemption value of $10.00 per share
     200,000,000  
Stockholders’ Deficit
        
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
         
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding (less 20,000,000 shares subject to redemption)
         
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 5,000,000 issued and outstanding
     500  
Accumulated deficit
     (14,095,323
    
 
 
 
Total Stockholders’ Deficit
     (14,094,823)  
    
 
 
 
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit
   $ 202,831,596  
    
 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
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Table of Contents
HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MARCH 24, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
 
 
  
For the

Period from

March 24,
2021

(inception)

through
December 31,
2021
 
Formation, general and administrative expenses
  
$
501,433
 
    
 
 
 
Loss from Operations
     (501,433
Other income
        
Unrealized gain on investments held in Trust Account
     18,919  
Offering costs allocated to warrants
 
 
 (1,359,240
)
Gain on change in fair value of warrant liabilities
     6,275,000  
    
 
 
 
Total other income
     4,934,679  
    
 
 
 
          
Net Income
  
$
4,433,246
 
    
 
 
 
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A common stock
     6,289,753  
    
 
 
 
Basic and diluted net income per share, Class A common stock
   $ 0.42  
    
 
 
 
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class B common stock
     4,257,951  
    
 
 
 
Basic and diluted net income per share, Class B common stock
  
$
0.42
 
    
 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
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HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MARCH 24, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
 
    
Class B Common
Stock
   
Additional
Paid-in
   
Accumulated
   
Total
Stockholders’
 
    
Shares
   
Amount
   
Capital
   
Deficit
   
Equity (Deficit)
 
Balance – March 24, 2021 (inception)
                                             
Issuance of shares of Class B common stock to related parties
     5,750,000       575       24,425       —         25,000  
Excess of cash received over fair value of Private Placement Warrants, net of offering costs
     —         —         683,000       —         683,000  
Forfeiture by Sponsor and reissuance of 1,350,000 shares of Class B Common stock to Anchor Investors, excess fair value over consideration
     —         —         10,670,740       —         10,670,740  
Accretion of Class A common stock to redemption value
     —         —         (11,378,165     (18,528,644     (29,906,809
Forfeiture of Founder Shares
     (750,000     (75     —         75       —    
Net Income
     —         —         —         4,433,246       4,433,246  
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Balance—December 31, 2021
     5,000,000     $ 500     $        $ (14,095,323   $ (14,094,823
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
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Table of Contents
HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
 
    
For the
period from
March 24, 2021
(inception)
through
December 31,
2021
 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
        
Net Income
   $ 4,433,246  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities
        
Interest earned on Investment held in Trust Account
     (18,919
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities
     (6,275,000
Offering costs related to the issuance of warrants
     1,359,240  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
        
Prepaid expenses
     (680,435
Accrued expenses
     270,419  
    
 
 
 
Net cash used in operating activities
     (911,449
    
 
 
 
          
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
        
Investments Held in Trust Account
     (200,000,000
    
 
 
 
Net cash used by investing activities
     (200,000,000
    
 
 
 
          
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
        
Proceeds from sale of Class A common stock, net of underwriting discount
     196,000,000  
Proceeds from issuance of Private Placement warrants
     7,600,000  
Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock
     25,000  
Payment of offering costs
     (581,309
    
 
 
 
Net cash provided by financing activities
     203,043,691  
    
 
 
 
Net change in cash
     2,132,242  
Cash at beginning of period
         
    
 
 
 
Cash at end of period
   $ 2,132,242  
    
 
 
 
          
Non-Cash
financing activities:
        
Initial classification of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption
   $ 200,000,000  
    
 
 
 
Deferred underwriting fee payable
   $ 7,000,000  
    
 
 
 
Initial classification of warrant liabilities
   $ 15,931,000  
    
 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
 
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Table of Contents
HOME PLATE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 – ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS BACKGROUND
Home Plate Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Delaware on March 24, 2021. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company has not yet selected any specific Business Combination target. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
The Company’s sponsor is Home Plate Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and its initial public offering (the “IPO”) described below, and, since the initial public offering, the search for a target for its initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate
non-operating
income in the form of interest income on the investments held in the Trust Account from the proceeds derived from the IPO. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
On October 4, 2021, the Company completed the sale of 20,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $200,000,000, which is described in Note 3. Simultaneous with the closing of the IPO, the Company completed the sale of 7,600,000 private placement warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to certain funds and accounts managed by the Sponsor as well as to Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), who acted as the sole book running manager for the IPO, generating gross proceeds of $7,600,000 from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants.
In accordance with the rules of Nasdaq, the Company’s initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined in the following paragraph) (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts and commissions held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing of a definitive agreement in connection with the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination 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”).
Following the closing of the IPO on October 4, 2021, $200,00,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, was placed in a Trust Account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States at a nationally recognized financial institution, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only in in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under
Rule 2a-7 promulgated
under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee will not be permitted to invest in other securities or assets. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide holders of the Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the IPO or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of the Class A common stock; or (iii) absent the completion of an initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the IPO, the return of the funds held in the Trust Account to the public stockholders as part of the redemption of the Public Shares. If the Company does not invest the proceeds as discussed above, the Company may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act.
 
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If the Company were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which the Company has not allotted funds and may hinder the ability to complete a Business Combination. If the Company has not consummated the initial Business Combination within the required time period, the public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per Public Share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of the Trust Account and the warrants will expire worthless.
The Company will provide the holders of the Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) without a stockholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share).
These Public Shares were classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the IPO in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) 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 a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (the “Combination Period”), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at
a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to the Company’s obligations under Delaware state law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares (defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, and (iv) vote any Founder Shares held by them and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of the initial Business Combination.
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third-party (other than the Company’s independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account if less than $10.00 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay the Company’s tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account
 
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nor will it apply to any claims under the indemnity of the underwriter of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third-party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $2,132,242 in its operating bank account, and working capital of $2,260,912. The Company’s liquidity needs up to its IPO date had been satisfied through a payment from the Sponsor for the Founder Shares and the loan under an unsecured promissory note from the Sponsor of up to $300,000. The Promissory Note was fully repaid as of October 4, 2021 and there were no amounts outstanding under it as of December 31, 2021.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with the Business Combination, the Company’s Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide the Company Working Capital Loans (defined in Note 4). As of December 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loans.
Based on the foregoing, management believes that the Company will have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity to meet its needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from this filing. Over this time period, the Company will be using these funds for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic
and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, 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.
NOTE 2 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements of the Company are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) have been made that are necessary to present fairly the financial position, and the results of its operations and its cash flows.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
 
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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 Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (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.​​​​​​​
Smaller Reporting Company Status
Additionally, the Company is 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. The Company will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of the Company’s shares of common stock held by
non-affiliates equaled
or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the Company’s annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of its shares of common stock held by
non-affiliates equaled
or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent the Company takes advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of these financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires the Company’s 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 revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. One of the more significant accounting estimates included in these financial statements is the determination of the fair value of the warrant liabilities. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly 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 cash of $2,132,242 and no cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these assets held in Trust Account are included in interest earned on investments held in Trust Account in the accompanying statement of operations.
Cash Held in Trust Account
As of December 31, 2021, the assets held in the Trust Account consisted of cash equivalents in the amount of $200,018,919.
 
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Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Offering Costs Associated with IPO
The Company complies with the requirements of the
ASC 340-10-S99-1 and
SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A—”Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the IPO. Offering costs are charged to stockholders’ equity or the statement of operations based on the relative value of the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants to the proceeds received from the Units sold upon the completion of the IPO. Accordingly, on October 4, 2021 the Company incurred offering costs amounting to $22,252,049, consisting of $4,000,000 of cash underwriting fees, $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees, $10,670,740 for the excess fair value of founder shares attributable to the Anchor Investors (as described in Note 4) and $581,309 of other offering costs. As such, the Company recorded $20,892,809 of offering costs allocated to the Class A common stock as a reduction of temporary equity and $1,359,240 of offering costs allocated to the warrants to the statement of operations.
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.
The Company applies ASC 820, which establishes a framework for measuring fair value and clarifies the definition of fair value within that framework. ASC 820 defines fair value as an exit price, which is the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the Company’s principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy established in ASC 820 generally requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the entity’s own assumptions based on market data and the entity’s judgments about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are to be developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.
Level 1—Assets and liabilities with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges. Inputs to the fair value measurement are observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2—Inputs to the fair value measurement are determined using prices for recently traded assets and liabilities with similar underlying terms, as well as direct or indirect observable inputs, such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals.
Level 3—Inputs to the fair value measurement are unobservable inputs, such as estimates, assumptions, and valuation techniques when little or no market data exists for the assets or liabilities.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is
then re-valued at
each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current
or non-current based
on whether or
not net-cash settlement
or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
 
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Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including Class A common stock that feature redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A common stock feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, Class A common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Immediately upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial carrying value to redemption amount value. The change in the carrying value of redeemable Class A common stock resulted in charges against additional
paid-in
capital and accumulated deficit.
As of December 31, 2021, the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption reflected in the balance sheet is reconciled in the following table:
 
Gross Proceeds from Initial Public Offering
   $ 200,000,000  
Less:
        
Issuance costs related to redeemable Class A common stock
     (20,892,809
Fair value of Public Warrants
     (9,014,000
Plus:
        
Accretion of carrying value to redemption value
    
29,906,809
 
    
 
 
 
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption
   $ 200,000,000  
    
 
 
 
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 December 31, 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.
 
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The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal and state taxing authorities in the areas of income taxes. 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.
Net Income Per Share of Common Stock
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share”. Net income per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. The Company applies the
two-class
method in calculating income per share of common stock. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Class A common stock is excluded from income per common share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
The calculation of diluted income per share of common stock does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the (i) Initial Public Offering, and (ii) the private placement since the exercise of the warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events. The warrants are exercisable to purchase 17,600,000 shares of Class A common stock in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted net income per common share is the same as basic net income per common share for the periods presented.
Class B common stock subject to forfeiture (see Note 5) are not included in weighted average shares outstanding until the forfeiture restrictions lapse.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income per share of common stock (in dollars, except share amounts):
 
    
For the Period from March 24, 2021
(Inception) Through December 31, 2021
 
    
Redeemable Class

A Common Stock
    
Non-Redeemable

Class B Common

Stock
 
Basic and diluted net income per share
                 
Numerator:
                 
Allocation of net income
   $ 2,643,610      $ 1,789,635  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Denominator:
                 
Weighted-average shares outstanding
     6,289,753        4,257,951  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Basic and diluted net income per share
   $ 0.42      $ 0.42  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the FASB issued
ASU No. 2020-06, Accounting
for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The update simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by removing certain separation models in
Subtopic 470-20, Debt—Debt
with Conversion and Other Options for convertible instruments and introducing other changes. As a result of
ASU No. 2020-06, more
convertible debt instruments will be accounted for as a single liability measured at amortized cost and more convertible preferred stock will be accounted for as a single equity instrument measured at historical cost, as long as no features require bifurcation and recognition as derivatives. The amendments are effective for smaller reporting companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing what impact, if any, that ASU
2020-06
would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
 
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Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3 – INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
On October 4, 2021 the Company completed its IPO of 20,000,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $200,000,000. Each Unit consisted of one share of Class A common stock and
one-half
of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
The Company granted the underwriter
45-day
option from the date of the IPO to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the IPO price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. This option expired unused in November 2021.
An aggregate of $10.00 per Unit sold in the IPO was held in the Trust Account and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of
Rule 2a-7 of
the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company.
NOTE 4 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On May 5, 2021, the Sponsor and certain directors of the Company paid $25,000 (approximately $0.004 per share) in consideration for 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock with par value of $0.0001 (the “Founder Shares”). Up to 750,000 of these shares of Class B common stock were subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised. The underwriter’s over-allotment option expired unused in November 2021 which resulted in aggregate outstanding Class B common stock of 5,000,000 shares.
Subject to each Anchor Investor purchasing 100% of the Units allocated to it, in connection with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor sold up to 150,000 Founder Shares to each Anchor Investor (other than those funds managed by UBS O’Connor, LLC) (an aggregate of 1,350,000 Founder Shares to all of the Anchor Investors) at their original purchase price. The Company estimated the aggregate fair value of these shares of Class B common stock attributable to such Anchor Investors to be $10,676,610 or $7.9086 per share.
The excess of the fair value over consideration of the Founder Shares was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A and 5T. Accordingly, the offering cost have been allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities were expensed as incurred in the statement of operations. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares were charged to stockholders’ deficit upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering.
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO on October 4, 2021, the Sponsor and Jefferies purchased an aggregate of 7,600,000 Private Placement Warrants, at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant ($7,600,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement. Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor were added to the proceeds from the Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
The Private Placement Warrants
are non-redeemable for
cash and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. Subject to limited exceptions, the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination (See Note 7).
 
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Related Party Loans
On May 5, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan up to $300,000 to the Company to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). The Note
was non-interest bearing
and was due on the earlier of the completion of the Initial Public Offering or December 31, 2021. As of October 4, 2021, the date of the IPO, $266,912 had been drawn by the Company and was paid off as part of the closing of the transaction. As of December 31, 2021, no amount is outstanding under the Note.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The public warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
The Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for
any out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in connection with activities on the Company’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. The Company’s audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to the Sponsor, officers or directors, or their affiliates. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
Administrative Services
The Company has committed to pay up to $15,000 per month to the Sponsor for administrative, financial and support services provided to members of the Company’s sponsor team. This administrative service arrangement will terminate upon completion of the initial Business Combination or liquidation of the Company. For the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, $30,000 in costs were incurred related to this agreement which are included in formation, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statement of operations.
NOTE 5 — STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Preferred Stock
—The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with a par value of $0.0001 per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class
 A common stock—
The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding (excluding 20,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption).
Class
 B common stock—
The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021 there were 5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.
Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, except as required by law or the applicable rules of Nasdaq. Holders of the Class A and Class B common stock will have one vote for every share of common stock with the exception that holders of the Class B common stock have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors and all other matters properly submitted to a vote of stockholders.
 
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The Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of the initial Business Combination on
a one-for-one basis,
subject to adjustment for
share sub-divisions, share
capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial Business Combination, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of shares of Class A common stock by Public Stockholders), including the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of Working Capital Loans; provided that such conversion of shares of Class B common stock will never occur on a less
than one-for-one basis.
NOTE 6 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Underwriting Agreement
The Company granted the underwriter
45-day option
from the date of the Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. This option expired unused in November 2021.
The underwriter earned an underwriting fee of $0.20 per Unit, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate which was paid upon the closing of the Offering.
In addition, the underwriter will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriter from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lockup period, which occurs (i) in the case of the Founder Shares, the period ending on the earlier of (a) one year after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination and (b) subsequent to the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within
any 30-trading day
period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction after the Company’s initial Business Combination that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property., and (ii) in the case of the Private Placement Warrants and the respective Class A common stock underlying such warrants, 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
 
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NOTE 7 – WARRANT LIABILITY
The Company accounted for the 17,600,000 warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (the 10,000,000 Public Warrants and the 7,600,000 Private Placement Warrants) in accordance with the guidance contained in
ASC 815-40. Such
guidance provides that, because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company has classified each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject
to re-measurement at
each balance sheet date. With each such remeasurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The warrants are also subject
to re-evaluation of
the proper classification and accounting treatment at each reporting period. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.
Public Warrants
The Company offered warrants in connection with its sale of Units. Each whole warrant that is part of the Units sold in the Offering is exercisable to purchase one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided in the Company’s Offering prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued and only whole warrants will trade. If a holder of warrants would be entitled to receive a fractional warrant, the Company will round down to the nearest whole number of warrants to be issued to such holder.
The exercise price of the warrant will be $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustments as described in the Company’s Offering prospectus. In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of its Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of its Class A 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 or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder shares held by the Company’s initial stockholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Business Combination on the date of the completion of the Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company completes the Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described below will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively.
The warrants will become exercisable on the later of: (a) 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination; and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the sale of the shares of its Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and a current Offering prospectus relating thereto is available, and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or the Company permits holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement as a result of (i) the Company’s failure to have an effective registration statement by the 60th business day after the closing of the Business Combination as described in the immediately following paragraph or (ii) a notice of redemption described below). If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of the Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC and have an effective registration statement covering the sale of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current Offering prospectus relating thereto, until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a
 
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registration statement covering the sale of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if the Company’s shares of Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of the Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to the Company and not placed in the Trust Account.
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described in the Company’s Offering prospectus with respect to the private placement warrants):
 
 
in whole and not in part;
 
 
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
 
 
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which the Company refers to as
the “30-day redemption
period”; and
 
 
if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Company’s Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within
30-trading day
period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities).
The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the sale of the shares of its Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective, and a current Offering prospectus relating thereto is available, throughout
the 30-day redemption
period. Any such exercise would not be on a “cashless basis” and would require the exercising warrant holder to pay the exercise price for each warrant being exercised.
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described below with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
 
 
in whole and not in part;
 
 
at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table set forth the Company’s Offering prospectus based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of the Company’s Class A common stock (as defined below);
 
 
if, and only if, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities); and
 
 
if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities), the private placement warrants must also concurrently be called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above.
 
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The “fair market value” of the Company’s Class A common stock shall mean the volume-weighted average price of the Class A common stock for the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings. The Company will provide the warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after
the 10-day trading
period described above ends. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).
No fractional shares of the Company’s Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise of a warrant in connection with a redemption. If, upon such exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of its Class A common stock to be issued to the holder.
Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A common stock shall include a security other than Class A common stock into which the Class A common stock has been converted or exchanged for in the event the Company is not the surviving company in the initial Business Combination.
Private Placement Warrants
The holders of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (“Working Capital Warrants”), and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or Working Capital Warrants, are subject to a
lock-up
period of 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination pursuant to a registration rights agreement.
The Private Placement Warrants will
be non-redeemable and
exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants included in the Units sold in the IPO.
NOTE 8 – RECURRING FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The following table presents fair value information as of December 31, 2021 of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value.
The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis:
 
    
(Level 1)
    
(Level 2)
    
(Level 3)
 
Assets
                          
Investment held in Trust Account
   $ 200,018,919      $          $     
Liabilities
                          
Public Warrants
   $ 5,449,000      $         $     
Private Placement Warrants
   $         $         $ 4,207,000  
Investment Held in Trust Account
As of December 31, 2021, the assets held in the Trust Account were held in U.S. Treasury Bills with a maturity of 185 days or less. During the period from March 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, the Company did not withdraw any of the interest income from the Trust Account to pay its tax obligations.
 
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The composition of the Company’s fair value of held to maturity securities on December 31, 2021 is as follows:
 
    
Fair Value

as of

December 31,

2021
 
U.S. Treasury Securities
   $ 200,017,973  
Cash held in Trust Account
     946  
    
 
 
 
     $200,018,919  
    
 
 
 
Warrant Liabilities
Under the guidance in
ASC 815-40, the
Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment. As such, the Public Warrants and the Private Warrants must be recorded on the balance sheet at fair value. This valuation is subject
to re-measurement at
each balance sheet date. With
each re-measurement, the
valuations will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
The Company’s warrant liability is based on a valuation model utilizing management judgment and pricing inputs from observable and unobservable markets with less volume and transaction frequency than active markets. Significant deviations from these estimates and inputs could result in a material change in fair value.
The fair value of the Private Placement Warrant liability is classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. On November 22, 2021, the 52
nd
day following the date of the offering prospectus, the Public Shares and Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the IPO became separately tradeable. Accordingly, an observable market was available for the Public Warrants and they were reclassified to a Level 1 classification.
Measurement
The Company established the initial fair value for the warrants on October 4, 2021, the date of the consummation of the Company’s IPO. The Company used a Black-Scholes-Merton formula model to value the warrants. The Company allocated the proceeds received from (i) the sale of Units (which is inclusive of one share of Class A common stock
and one-half of
one Public Warrant), (ii) the sale of Private Placement Warrants, and (iii) the issuance of Class B common stock, first to the warrants based on their fair values as determined at initial measurement, with the remaining proceeds allocated to Class A common stock subject to possible redemption (temporary equity), Class A common stock (permanent equity) and Class B common stock (permanent equity) based on their relative fair values at the initial measurement date.
As of December 31, 2021, the Public Warrants were publicly traded and their fair value was based on the market trade price on that date. The fair value for the Private Warrants was estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation model.
The following table presents a summary of the changes in the fair value of the Warrants liabilities classified as Level 3, measured on a recurring basis.
 
    
Private
Warrant

Liability
    
Public
Warrant

Liability
 
Fair Value as of March 24, 2021 (Inception)
  
$
  
 
  
$
  
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Fair Value as of October 4, 2021 (IPO date)
     6,917,000      $ 9,014,000  
Transfer out of Level 3
               (9,014,000
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities
     (2,710,000          
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Fair Value as of December 31, 2021
   $ 4,207,000      $     
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
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The key inputs into the Private Placement Warrants model were as follows for December 31, 2021 and October 4, 2021:
 
    
December 31,
2021
   
October 4,
2021

(IPO)
 
Common stock price
   $ 9.67     $ 9.55  
Exercise price
   $ 11.50     $ 11.50  
Risk-free rate of interest
     1.32     1.11
Volatility
     10.97     15.66
Term
     5.75       6.00  
Dividend Yield
     0     0
The following contains additional information regarding the inputs used in the pricing models:
 
   
Term – the expected life of the warrants was assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term.
 
   
Risk-free rate – the risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. treasury yield curve in effect on the date of valuation equal to the remaining expected life of the Warrants.
 
   
Volatility – the Company estimated the volatility of its common stock warrants based on implied volatility and actual historical volatility of a group of comparable publicly traded companies observed over a historical period equal to the expected remaining life of the Warrants.
 
   
Dividend yield – the dividend yield percentage is zero because the Company does not currently pay dividends, nor does it intend to do so during the expected term of the Private Placement Warrants.
NOTE 9 – INCOME TAXES
The Company’s net deferred tax assets are as follows:

 
  
December 31,
2021
 
Deferred tax asset
        
Organizational costs/Startup expenses
   $ 72,852  
Federal net operating loss
     32,449  
    
 
 
 
Total deferred tax asset
     105,301  
Valuation allowance
     (101,328 )
Deferred tax liabilities
        
Unrealized gain on investment
     (3,973 )
    
 
 
 
Deferred tax asset, net of allowance
  
$
 
    
 
 
 
The income tax provision consists of the following:
 
    
December 31,
2021
 
Federal
        
Current
   $    
Deferred
     (101,328
State
        
Current
      
Deferred
      
    
 
 
 
Change in valuation allowance
     101,328  
    
 
 
 
Income tax provision
  
$
 
    
 
 
 
 
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As of December 31, 2021 the Comp
a
ny had $154,521 of U.
S. federal net operating loss carryovers available to offset future taxable income, which do not expire
.
In assessing the realization of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. For the period ended December 31, 2021, the valuation allowance increased $101,328.
A reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate at December 31, 2021 is as follows:
 
Statutory federal income tax rate
     21.0%  
State taxes, net of federal tax benefit
    
 
 
%
 
Non-deductible
transaction costs
     6.4%  
Change in fair value of warrants
     (29.7)%  
Change in valuation allowance
     2.3%  
    
 
 
 
Income tax provision
  
 
  %
 
    
 
 
 
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal, NY State and New York City jurisdictions, and is subject to examination by the various taxing authorities since inception.
NOTE 10 – 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. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statement.
 
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