Abpro Holdings, Inc S-1, filed Dec 2, 2021
Abpro Holdings, Inc. (ABPO)
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Filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on December 2, 2021 under the Securities Act of 1933.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Under
The Securities Act of 1933
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 6770 | 87-1013956 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5
New York, NY 10013
(248)-890-7200
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Shahraab Ahmad
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5
New York, NY 10013
(248)-890-7200
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
| Stephen C. Ashley 31 W. 52nd Street (212) 858-1000 |
Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq. Stuart Neuhauser, Esq. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP (212) 370-1300 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box: ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☒ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
|
| ||||||||
| Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered |
Amount being Registered(1) |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Security(1) |
Proposed Aggregate Offering Price(1) |
Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
| Units, each consisting of one share of Series A common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant(2) |
28,750,000 Units | $10.00 | $287,500,000 | $26,651.25 | ||||
| Shares of Series A common stock included as part of the units(3) |
28,750,000 Shares | — | — | —(4) | ||||
| Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3) |
14,375,000 Warrants | — | — | —(4) | ||||
| Total |
$287,500,000 | $26,651.25 | ||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
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| (1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee. |
| (2) | Includes 3,750,000 units, consisting of 3,750,000 shares of Series A common stock and 1,875,000 warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,875,000 shares of Series A common stock included in such units, which may be issued on exercise of a 45-day option granted to the Underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any. |
| (3) | Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
| (4) | Pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act, no additional fee. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with the provisions of Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
Subject to Completion, Dated December 2, 2021
$250,000,000
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
25,000,000 Units
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), is a blank check company newly formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” We have not identified any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive business discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on businesses in the mobility sector.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. We are offering 25,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 each. Each unit consists of one share of our Series A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Series A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares for cash, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as described herein.
Our sponsor, Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, has committed to purchase an aggregate of 7,900,000 warrants (or 8,900,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.50 per warrant, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants included in the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. We refer to our sponsor as our “founders” throughout this prospectus.
Our founders and independent directors currently own an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of our Series B common stock (up to 937,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into shares of Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Series B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of the Series A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Series A common stock or warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on The Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “ACABU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the shares of Series A common stock and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Series A common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ACAB” and “ACABW,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and will therefore be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 38 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| Per Unit | Total | |||||||
| Public offering price |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 250,000,000 | ||||
| Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) |
$ | 0.55 | $ | 13,750,000 | ||||
| Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
$ | 9.45 | $ | 236,250,000 | ||||
| (1) | $0.20 per unit, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.35 per unit sold in this offering, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or up to $10,062,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States and released to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. for its own account only upon the completion of an initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” beginning on page 158 for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $255,000,000, or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $5,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $1,850,000 to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 20 .
Sole Book-Running Manager
Cantor
, 20
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| F-1 |
TRADEMARKS
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus before investing. Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to:
| • | “we,” “us” or “our company” are to Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II; |
| • | “DGCL” are to the Delaware General Corporation Law as the same may be amended from time to time; |
| • | “sponsor” is to Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, a company affiliated with our executive officer and certain of our directors; |
| • | “founders” are to our sponsor; |
| • | “CF&Co” is to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., the sole book-running manager and underwriter of this offering; |
| • | “founder shares” are to shares of Series B common initially purchased by our founders in a private placement prior to this offering and the shares of Series A common stock that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the shares of Series B common stock at the time of our initial business combination as described herein; |
| • | “private placement warrants” are to the redeemable warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering, which private placement warrants are identical to the warrants included in the public units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus; |
| • | “common stock” are to our shares of Series A common stock and our shares of Series B common stock; |
| • | “public units” are to the units sold in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| • | “public shares” are to shares of our Series A common stock sold as part of the public units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| • | “public warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| • | “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that their status as “public stockholders” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; and |
| • | “management” or our “management team” refer to our executive officers and directors. |
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our founders of an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.
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Our Company
We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated in May 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, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We intend to focus our search for a suitable initial business combination target in the next-generation mobility sector, but we may pursue an initial business combination target in any stage of its corporate evolution or in any industry, sector or geographic location.
We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential initial business combination target. However, certain members of our management team has previously engaged in discussions with potential business combination targets in their capacity as officers of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. (“ACA I”). We may pursue business combination targets that had previously been in discussions with ACA I’s management team.
We plan to capitalize on our team’s significant experience in our target sector, as well as our team and our strategic partners’ significant global network of business owners, public and private company executives and board members, investment bankers, private equity investors, attorneys, management consultants and accountants to complete our initial business combination. We believe this approach, and our team’s track record investing and operating in a variety of sub sectors within our target industry, will provide us with compelling opportunities to create and capture value for stockholders. Our independent board members, based on their extensive expertise and knowledge of our target sector, will actively participate in identifying opportunities for our initial business combination. Additionally, we believe our strategic partners’ significant experience in developing and acquiring transformative technologies, will enhance our ability to source proprietary opportunities and to maximize stockholder value following our initial business combination.
Certain of our executive officers and directors have served as executive officers and directors of ACA I, which went public in March 2021.
We intend to evaluate compelling opportunities related to mobility markets; digital platforms that expand access to mobility; sensor technologies and enabling components; autonomous computing and fleet management systems; next-generation aviation; new powertrain technologies; sustainable infrastructure as they relate to mobility and industrial applications, all of which we believe complement the core competencies of our team and meet our acquisition criteria. We will seek to maximize stockholder value post-acquisition by implementing strategic initiatives that drive efficient growth, develop company leadership and expand access to capital markets. It is our belief that the Company is well-positioned to consummate a business combination in the mobility sector with a target who could benefit from our business strategy.
Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
Shahraab Ahmad has been our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since October 2021. Mr. Ahmad also serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACA I. Prior to this, he most recently served as the Chief Investment Officer for Decca Capital Ltd, a fund founded by Mr. Ahmad that invested across capital structures in the U.S. and Europe from April 2015 until December 2018. Prior to his tenure at Decca Capital Ltd, Mr. Ahmad served as a portfolio manager for Hutchin Hill Capital, LP from 2008 to 2013 and Sailfish Capital Partners, LLC from 2005 to 2008 and J.P. Morgan from
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1999 to 2004, where he last co-headed the High Yield Credit trading group. At J.P. Morgan, Mr. Ahmad managed credit portfolios across the U.S. and Europe. We believe Mr. Ahmad’s eight years of experience investing in private technology companies and 20 years of investment experience as an investor across capital structures and hedge fund manager make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Anthony D. Eisenberg has been our Chief Strategy Officer and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Eisenberg also serves as Chief Strategy Officer and a director of ACA I. Since 2013, Mr. Eisenberg has managed Tappan Street, a multi-strategy family office with expertise in environmental, social and corporate governance principles and private market investments. Since March 2020, Mr. Eisenberg has also served on the board of advisors of Komma, a mobility company targeting the urban mobility vehicle market. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Eisenberg served on the board of advisors of Michigan Income Principal-Protected Growth Fund, an impact investing fund in partnership with the State of Michigan and the US Department of Treasury and led the firm’s development activities. Mr. Eisenberg began his career in politics working in the Office of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Patton Boggs and the D.C. based research group Marwood Group, prior to his principal investing career, which began at the hedge fund Christofferson Robb & Company. We believe Mr. Eisenberg’s experience in public policy and expertise in private market investments makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Jason Chryssicas has been our Chief Financial Officer since October 2021 and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Over the course of his career, Mr. Chryssicas has served in a variety of leadership positions within financial services and capital markets, including Investor Relations, Investment Banking, Corporate Development and Strategy. Mr. Chryssicas has served in various roles at Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners Inc. since 2013 including his current role as Head of Investor Relations at both firms. Prior to this, Mr. Chryssicas held positions at Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young. We believe Mr. Chryssicas’s experience in financial services, capital markets and investor relations makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Burt Jordan has been our President since November 2021 and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Jordan also serves as President and a director of ACA I. Mr. Jordan was an executive at Ford Motor Company (“Ford”) from July 1999 until July 2020, where he most recently served as vice president of Global Purchasing Operations and Supply Chain Sustainability. At Ford, Mr. Jordan was responsible for Ford’s commodity-related and Indirect Purchasing and Supplier Sourcing program around the world for the past 10 years. In June 2020, Mr. Jordan was named the 2020 CPO of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, which recognized his impactful leadership within Ford and the larger supplier-diversity community. We believe Mr. Jordan’s extensive experience as a senior executive of a major automobile corporation and his demonstrated leadership skills make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Joanna Lord will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Lord also serves as a director of ACA I. Since June 2021, Ms. Lord has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Reforge Inc. Prior to joining Reforge, Ms. Lord served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Skyscanner LTD from January 2019 until December 2020 and ClassPass from 2016 to 2019 and the Vice President of Marketing at Porch from 2014 to 2016. We believe Ms. Lord’s 15 years of marketing leadership experience in technology companies makes her well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Bryan Dove will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Dove also serves as a director of ACA I. Since April 2021, Mr. Dove has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CommerceHub. Additionally, since September 2020,
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Mr. Dove has served as the Chairperson of Travalyst. Prior to this, Mr. Dove was an executive at Skyscanner LTD from June 2015 until June 2020, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Dove was also a director at Skyscanner LTD from 2018 to 2020. Prior to joining Skyscanner, Mr. Dove held several senior leadership positions within the technology industry at Amazon (2014 – 2015), Microsoft (2009 – 2014), and Eclipsys Corporation (2004 – 2009). Mr. Dove also served as a board director at a privately held artificial intelligence company specializing in the real estate and financial sectors (July 2020 – April 2021). We believe Mr. Dove’s experience as a CEO and senior executive leading and scaling high-growth companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Iqbaljit Kahlon will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Kahlon also serves as a director of ACA I. Since June 2014, Mr. Kahlon has served as the managing partner of Tomales Bay Capital, a global investment firm with a focus on innovative companies, and since August 2015, the executive chairman of Hive, an artificial intelligence company specializing in computer vision and deep learning. At Tomales Bay Capital, Mr. Kahlon invested in innovative and technology-based companies including SpaceX. We believe Mr. Kahlon’s experience in investing in innovative and technology-based companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Darren Stanwood will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Since October 2015, Mr. Stanwood has served as the managing member of Fields Texas Ltd. Holdings LLC, a private investment and retail advisory firm focused on the global consumer and retail sectors. We believe Mr. Stanwood’s experience in investing in the global consumer and retail industries makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Dominick J. Schiano will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Since July 2007, Mr. Schiano has served as the President and Co-Founding Partner of Evergreen Capital Partners LLC. Evergreen provides advisory services and co-invests with private equity sponsors under exclusive contractual relationships and was previously engaged by The Gores Group where Mr. Schiano was responsible for sourcing investment opportunities, and providing strategic, operational and financial guidance with respect to portfolio company investments in the industrial sector. Evergreen has also previously been engaged by TowerBrook Capital Partners where Mr. Schiano was a member of the Management Advisory Board and by DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, the private equity arm of Credit Suisse where he served as Vice Chairman—Global Industrial Partners. Mr. Schiano has also served on numerous local government, private company, joint venture and public company boards, including STR Holdings Inc. (NYSE: STRI) where he served on the Audit and Special Transaction Committees and Material Sciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MASC) where he served on the Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees and led the Special Committee responsible for its sale in 2013. Prior to forming Evergreen, Mr. Schiano served as a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee of Questor Partners Funds. Previously, Mr. Schiano served in various senior executive roles at Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), TRW Inc, Wickes Companies Inc., and its predecessor, Gulf+Western Industries Inc. We believe Mr. Schiano’s experience in providing investment advisory services and co-investing with private equity sponsors makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
The past performance of the members of our management team or ACA I or their affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management or any of their affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance. None of our officers or directors has had any experience with any blank check companies in the past.
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Special Advisor
Apeiron Investment Group is the family office and merchant banking business of Christian Angermayer. Apeiron Investment Group provides strategic and operational support for a variety of investment initiatives and entrepreneurial pursuits. The firm invests across all phases of a company’s life cycle with an emphasis on early-stage opportunities. Apeiron has investment expertise in financial services, deep technology, life sciences, media & entertainment and real estate technology. Apeiron has several significant portfolio investments, including: ATAI Life Sciences AG, CRYPTOLOGY Asset Group PLC, Rejuveron Life Sciences AG, Presight Capital, Elevate Capital and Apeiron Advisory LTD, which serve specific mandates as part of Apeiron Investment Group’s broader strategy. Apeiron Investment Group also serves as a special advisor to ACA I.
Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that demonstrates significant value creation opportunities for our stockholders and could benefit from our team’s expertise. Our business combination evaluation process will be informed by our team’s knowledge of the mobility sector and meet certain criteria that we elaborate on in the “Business Combination Criteria” section below. Additionally, we will leverage our global network of business owners, public and private company executives and board members, investment bankers, private equity investors, attorneys, management consultants and accountants, which we believe will provide us with access to attractive business combination opportunities in our target sector. Our team has experience:
| • | operating and investing in the mobility and related technology sectors; |
| • | scaling high growth companies through organic and acquisition-based strategic investments; |
| • | identifying and developing talented, high performing and resilient management teams; |
| • | sourcing investment opportunities, structuring complex transactions, and acquiring and selling businesses; |
| • | fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and |
| • | accessing public and private capital markets over multiple business cycles. |
Following the completion of this offering, we will promptly begin to source a target for our initial business combination. Though we’ve not engaged in discussions with any particular company, we do have a prioritized list of targets entities we will seek to engage. We intend to use our mobility sector insight and access to key ecosystem operators to quickly identify a company with a strong competitive position that could benefit from being a public company and our team’s expertise.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we intend to acquire a company in the mobility sector that has a favorable market position and long-term prospects for value creation.
As part of our risk-mitigation and investment thesis validation processes, we’ll perform rigorous due diligence, including: financial and operational data analyses, legal documentation reviews, management and key personnel assessments, interviews with key suppliers and channel partners, and inspection of facilities, as applicable. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria and guidelines.
| • | Large Markets. We intend to target companies that operate or will operate in a large addressable market in the mobility sector and related technologies. Our management team and our board have |
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| significant expertise in these markets through their past investing and operating activities and therefore are experienced at analyzing and evaluating companies in these markets; |
| • | High Growth. We intend to target companies that are experiencing high rates of growth or are poised to do so. Companies with such growth rates typically have disruptive technologies, superior products to competitors and the tailwinds from the shifting nature of their underlying market; |
| • | Competitive Edge. We aim to target companies that are set up for long term growth and as such, have a competitive edge. This may include first to market, network effects, a lead in technology and access to the key customers. A target company’s management team and engineering/technical teams will be a key part of our evaluation. The right combination of management and technical expertise at a target company will be the key to long term success for these types of companies. Our management team and our board have significant experience in understanding such companies and evaluating a company’s management and technical expertise; |
| • |
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| • | Long-Term Attractive Business Models. We intend to acquire a business pursuing high-growth and large consumer or commercial markets where the business model is structured for long run profitability. Our management, our board and our special advisors have experience in identifying such business models and helping such businesses carry out their vision. We will seek out companies that in the long run enjoy high margins, defensible markets and deliver superior returns; |
| • | ESG Values. We believe that the next generation of mobility solutions will be geared towards Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (“ESG”) principles and that investors are acutely aware of the benefits of these principles. As such, we will acquire a business that is aligned with ESG values and if necessary, help the business move further in that direction. We believe our team has expertise in this area through their previous investing experiences; |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant.
In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information which will be made available to us.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
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Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets
We believe certain privately held companies and their stockholders could benefit from a transaction with us. Business combination targets that are developing core technologies and pursuing disruptive commercialization strategies may need access to stable capital but lack access to public markets. Our team has the necessary technical, operating and transactional expertise to identify attractive acquisition targets who would most benefit from the value we seek to deliver to our stockholders vis-à-vis our initial business combination. The primary sourcing activities of our team will emanate from its access to high quality deal flow that meet our acquisition criteria; the result of successfully investing in, scaling and operating innovative companies.
Our team has established broad networks and strong relationships over their decades of experience in relevant industries. We believe these strengths will represent a competitive advantage for the Company during its search process and will ultimately lead to an attractive pool of business combination targets. We intend to be the primary actors in our sourcing activities, reducing the dependency on marketed transactions by third parties. It is our belief that approaching targets directly will lead to a more collaborative process, one that seeks to create value for all stakeholders through the business combination process. It is our intent to source business combination targets that meet and are aligned with the ESG principles commonly understood and described by the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations’ Environment Program Finance Initiative.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive 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 stating 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.
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to one or more other entities, including ACA I, 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 other entity.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. We do not believe, however,
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that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers and directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, founders, officers and directors may sponsor, form, or become an officer or director of, other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. For example, each of Messrs. Ahmad, Eisenberg and Jordan are currently officers and directors of, and Messrs. Dove and Kahlon and Ms. Lord are each directors of, ACA I, and each owes fiduciary duties to ACA I. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. In particular, affiliates of our sponsor are currently sponsoring ACA I, another blank check company. Any such companies, including ACA I, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Lastly, our founders, 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. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Initial Business Combination
We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares without voting and, if they do vote, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of our proposed business combination or allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Unlike other blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related redemptions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of the common stock that are voted at a stockholder meeting held to consider such initial business combination.
We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust
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account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and net of interest that may be used by us to pay our franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.20 per share of Series A common stock (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders.
Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our Board of Directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). 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 stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, 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.
We currently anticipate structuring our initial business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test.
As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our amended and
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restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Certain of our directors currently have, and any of our officers or directors may in the future have, certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations. In addition, our sponsor, founders, officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. Our founders, 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. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Emerging Growth Company Status and Other Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual 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 Series A common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to emerging growth company shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5, New York, NY 10013, and our telephone number is (248)-890-7200. Our website address is www.atlanticcoastalacquisition.com. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not a part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.
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The Offering
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 38 of this prospectus.
| Securities offered |
25,000,000 units (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: |
| • | one share of Series A common stock; and |
| • | one-half (1/2) of one warrant to purchase one share of Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. |
| Listing of our securities and proposed symbols |
We anticipate that the units, as well as the shares of Series A common stock and warrants underlying the units (once they begin separate trading), will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ACABU,” “ACAB” and “ACABW,” respectively. |
| Trading commencement and separation of Series A common stock and warrants |
The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect the shares of Series A common stock and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless CF&Co informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Series A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Series A common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. |
| Separate trading of the Series A common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K |
In no event will the Series A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering, promptly upon the |
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| closing of this offering, which closing is anticipated to take place two business days from the date the units commence trading. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. We will also include in this Form 8-K, an amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K information indicating if CF&Co has allowed separate trading of the shares of Series A common stock and warrants prior to the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus. |
Units:
| Issued and outstanding before this offering |
0 units |
| Issued and outstanding after this offering |
25,000,000 units(1) |
Shares of common stock:
| Issued and outstanding before this offering |
7,187,500 shares of Series B common stock(2)(3) |
| Issued and outstanding after this offering |
31,250,000 shares(3)(4) |
| 1 | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
| 2 | Includes 937,500 shares of Series B common stock subject to forfeiture by our founders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
| 3 | Includes founder shares currently classified as shares of Series B common stock, which shares will automatically convert into shares of Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” |
| 4 | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, and consists of 25,000,000 public shares and 6,250,000 founder shares and, accordingly, that an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares have been forfeited. |
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Warrants:
| Outstanding before this offering |
0 warrants |
| Outstanding after this offering |
20,400,000 warrants(1)(5) |
| Exercisability |
Each whole warrant is exercisable for one share of Series A common stock. Only whole warrants may be exercised. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units. Only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. We structured each unit to contain one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Series A common stock, to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. |
| Exercise price |
$11.50 per whole share of Series A common stock, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Series A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Series A 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 sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Series A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. Only whole warrants may be exercised. On the exercise of any warrant, the exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. |
| 5 | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and includes 7,900,000 private placement warrants sold concurrently with the closing of this offering. |
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| We are not registering the shares of Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants (the “warrant shares”) at this time. However, we have agreed 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 have an effective and current registration statement covering the issuance of the warrant shares and a current prospectus relating to such shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement for our public warrants (the “public warrant agreement”). No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the issuance of the warrant shares and a current prospectus relating thereto. |
| If a registration statement covering the issuance of the warrant shares is not effective within 60 business days following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may nevertheless, until such time as there is such an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain such an effective registration statement or current prospectus, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act. In this circumstance, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering warrants exercisable for the number of shares of Series A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Series A common stock underlying such warrants and the difference between the exercise price of such warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” means the average reported last sale price of the shares of Series A common stock for the ten trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent from the holder of such warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. |
| Exercise period |
The warrants will become exercisable, subject to the above limitations, on the later of: |
| • | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and |
| • | 12 months from the closing of this offering. |
| The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. |
| Redemption of Warrants |
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (excluding the private placement warrants as described below): |
| • | in whole and not in part; |
| • | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
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| • | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrantholder, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and |
| • | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Series A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
| We will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the warrant shares underlying the warrants to be so redeemed is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those warrant shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. |
| If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder may exercise his, her or its warrants prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the shares of Series A common stock may fall below the $18.00 trigger price (as adjusted) as well as the $11.50 exercise price (as adjusted) after the redemption notice is issued. |
| The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants. |
| If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In making such determination, our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants. In such event, the holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Series A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of warrant shares underlying the |
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| warrants to be so exercised, and the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value by (y) the fair market value. |
| None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or their permitted transferees. |
Securities purchased, or being purchased, by our founders and Other Insiders
| Founder Shares |
In October 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share. |
| Up to an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares shall be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised during this offering. The function of the terms of forfeiture shall be to maintain the representation by the founder shares of 20% of the outstanding shares of our common stock upon completion of this offering and, if any, of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effectuate a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Series B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the representation by the founder shares of 20% of the outstanding shares of our common stock upon completion of this offering and, if any, of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. Prior to the investment in the Company of an aggregate of $25,000 by our founders, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. |
| The founder shares are identical to the public shares, except that: |
| • | the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
| • | the founder shares entitle the holder to vote on the election of directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of the Series A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time; |
| • | our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have each entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares, insofar as such rights would enable them to receive funds from the trust account, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to our pre-initial business |
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| combination activity and related stockholders’ rights; and (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold, if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); |
| • | if we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,425,001 or approximately 37.7%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised); |
| • | the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; and |
| • | the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” |
| Expression of interest |
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. has informed us that it, its affiliates or certain accounts over which it or its affiliates have discretionary authority have expressed an interest in purchasing up to 7.5% of the units to be sold in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase and are simply expressions of intent, these entities may determine to purchase fewer or no units at all in the offering or may purchase more units than they indicate an interest in purchasing (although all such entities combined have indicated that they do not intend to purchase more than an aggregate of 9.99% of the units offered in this offering). In addition, Cantor may allocate fewer or no units offered in this offering to any of these entities. The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as they will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. If any such entity purchases any units in this offering or otherwise in the open market, it has no obligation to (i) vote the underlying shares in favor of any business combination, (ii) refrain from exercising any redemption rights with respect to any shares underlying the units offered in this offering or (iii) hold any such units or underlying shares beyond the consummation of an initial business combination, if any. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the |
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| proposed sale or redemption. Cantor’s affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor. |
| Private Placement Warrants |
Our founders have committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 7,900,000 private placement warrants (or 8,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $1.50 per warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. |
| A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. |
| The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants, except: (1) will not be redeemable by us; and (2) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, as described in this prospectus, so long as they are held by the founders or any of their permitted transferees. If the warrants are held by holders other than the founders or any of their permitted transferees, then the warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the public warrants. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the warrants will expire worthless. |
| Transfer restrictions applicable to founders’ shares and private placement warrants |
Subject to certain limited exceptions, our sponsor, founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until one year after the completion of our initial business combination that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their Series A common stock for cash, securities or other property; (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Stockholders”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) if the reported last sale price of our Series A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (2) if we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, then such securities will be released from these restrictions. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions |
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| and other agreements of our founders with respect to any founder shares. |
| The private placement warrants and the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Lock-up Restrictions,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. |
| Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights |
The founder shares will automatically convert into shares of Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Series A common stock or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of shares of Series A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of shares of Series A common stock outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of shares of Series A common stock by public stockholders), including the total number of shares of Series 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 us in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any shares of Series A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Series A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans, provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis. |
| Election of directors; Voting rights |
Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Series B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of the Series A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our Series A common stock and holders of our Series |
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| B common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. |
| Voting arrangements with our founders and other insiders |
Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have each entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (and any of their permitted transferees will agree): (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares of common stock held by them, insofar as such rights would enable them to receive funds from the trust account, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights; and (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold, if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we submit an initial business combination to our stockholders for a vote, our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to such letter agreement, to vote any shares of common stock held by them in favor of such initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares held by our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, we would need 9,425,001 or approximately 37.7% of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering, to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised and 937,500 founder shares have been forfeited) in order to have such initial business combination approved. |
| Offering proceeds to be held in the trust account |
Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the $261,850,000 of gross proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, an aggregate of $255,000,000 (or $10.20 per unit), or $293,250,000 (or $10.20 per unit) if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus, after deducting an aggregate of $750,000 (excluding underwriting discount) to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and $1,100,000 for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in |
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| specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. |
| Except as set forth below with respect to taxes, the funds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period; (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination in the required time period; or (3) our redemption of our public shares in connection with the approval of any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation related to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights, including the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period. Therefore, unless and until our initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders. |
| Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no funds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest earned to pay taxes. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $51,000 of interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 0.02% per year). Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
| • | the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,100,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $750,000 (excluding underwriting discount) in offering expenses relating to this offering; and |
| • | any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates or other third parties, including the $1,750,000 loan commitment being made by our sponsor for working capital at the closing of this offering, although they are under no obligation to loan funds or invest in us; and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. |
| Limited payments to insiders |
There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our sponsor, officers, directors, director nominees or their affiliates prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the |
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| type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the consummation of our initial business combination: |
| • | payment to our sponsor of up to $250,000 which amount our sponsor has made available to us as a general working capital loan evidenced by a promissory note from which we may draw from time to time prior to the consummation of this offering; |
| • | reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations; and |
| • | repayment upon consummation of our initial business combination of any loans which may be made by our founders or their affiliates, or our executive officers, directors and director nominees or their affiliates, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, including the $1,750,000 loan commitment being made by our sponsor for working capital at the closing of this offering. The terms of any such loans have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into additional warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. |
| These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith. |
| Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates. |
| Audit Committee |
Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee (which will be composed entirely of independent directors) to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.” |
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| Conditions to completing our initial business combination |
There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. |
| If our Board of Directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test; provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. |
| Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates |
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase public 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 although they are under no obligation to do so. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. Please see “Proposed Business—Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire securities. There is no limit on the number of shares or warrants such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may |
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| pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases of public shares at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. If any of our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates 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. We cannot currently determine whether any of our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as that would be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to the timing and size of any such purchase. Depending on the circumstances, any of our insiders may decide to make purchases of our securities pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or may determine that acting pursuant to such a plan is not required under the Exchange Act. |
| We do not currently anticipate that purchases of our public shares or public warrants by any of our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates, 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. 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. None of our founders, directors, director nominees, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will purchase shares of our common stock if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. |
| Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public |
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shares, subject to the limitations described herein; provided, that we shall not redeem public shares to the extent that the redemption would result in our failure to have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination.
| The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, founders, directors, director nominees and executive officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any common stock held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. |
| Manner of conducting redemptions |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (2) 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. 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 issued and outstanding shares of common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. |
| If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our 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. |
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| Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our founders, directors, director nominees and executive officers will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act to purchase shares of our Series A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. |
| In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination. |
| If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will: |
| • | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
| • | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
| We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least ten days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listings or Exchange Act registration. |
| If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of shares of our common stock that are voted at a stockholder meeting relating to the initial business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, |
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| founders, directors, director nominees and executive officers have agreed (and any of their permitted transferees will agree) to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers and any of their permitted transferees will own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon (assuming they do not purchase public units in this offering). These voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our founders, directors, director nominees and executive officers may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem their public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. |
| Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide 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 do not then become 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: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) 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 Series 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 would not complete the business combination or redeem any shares of Series A common stock, and all shares of Series A common stock submitted for redemption would be returned to the holders thereof. |
| Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights |
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 our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as |
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| applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. |
| Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote |
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination in conjunction with a stockholder vote pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning that we would not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares of common stock with respect to an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares of common stock, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers or any of their affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder (together with its “group”) holding an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares were not purchased by us or our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers or any of their affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our public stockholders’ redemption rights as herein described, we believe we will limit the potential for a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block the completion of 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 restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. |
| Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our charter documents |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that amendments to any of its provisions relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights, including the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% |
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| of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock. If any such amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation are approved by the requisite stockholder vote, we may amend the corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account. |
| After the completion of this offering, and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we may not issue any additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account or vote as a class with our public shares on an initial business combination, on any pre-business combination activity or on any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights. |
| Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, who will beneficially own approximately 20% of our shares of common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase public units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose; provided, that, each of them has 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Series 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. 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 do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination. |
| Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees 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 any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights. |
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| Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination |
On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us. We will use these funds to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. |
| Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
We will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and 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 (3) 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. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month time period. |
| Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this |
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| offering. However, if our founders, executive officers, directors, or director nominees acquire public shares after this offering they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month time frame. |
| Conflicts of Interest |
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, including ACA I, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. 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. |
| We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. |
| Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our founders shares, Series A common stock and/or private placement warrants following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at approximately $0.0035 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including members of our management team that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public stockholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their shares of common stock (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination). Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention |
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| or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
| In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors 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, officers or directors 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. For example, each of Messrs. Ahmad, Eisenberg and Jordan are currently officers and directors of, and Messrs. Dove and Kahlon and Ms. Lord are each directors of, ACA I, and each owes fiduciary duties to ACA I. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. In particular, affiliates of our sponsor are currently sponsoring ACA I, another blank check company. Any such companies, including ACA I, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. |
| Lastly, our sponsor, 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. |
| 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 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 (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations, and we have not asked our sponsor |
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| to reserve for such obligations. We believe the likelihood of our sponsor having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we will endeavor to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. |
Summary of Risk Factors
We are a newly incorporated blank check company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenue. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account the special risks we face as a blank check company, as well as the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act, and, therefore, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these as well as the risks described below and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 38 of this prospectus.
| • | We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenue, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. |
| • | Past performance by our management team or Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company. |
| • | Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may consummate our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination. |
| • | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our founders, executive officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote. |
| • | Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash. |
| • | Because our trust account will initially contain $10.20 per share of Series A common stock, public stockholders may be more incentivized to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. |
| • | We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time. |
| • | We may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate. |
| • | 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. |
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| • | You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your securities, potentially at a loss. |
| • | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies. |
| • | Our search for a target business or businesses, with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets |
| • | Although we identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines. |
| • | Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be largely dependent upon the efforts of our executive officers, directors and key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of our executive officers, directors, or key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our business. |
| • | Our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. |
| • | 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. |
| • | Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect the business, investments and results of our operations. |
| • | 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless. |
| • | We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Series A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval. |
| • | The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination. |
| • | The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share. |
| • | 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. |
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| • | There has been and may in the future be diversity in the capital structure, financial accounting policies, and resultant financial reporting by SPACs, which may impact the market price for our Series A common stock and our ability to complete a business combination. |
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The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| October 25, 2021 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: |
||||||||
| Working capital (deficit)(1) |
$ | (151,634 | ) | $ | 1,124,000 | |||
| Total assets(2) |
$ | 175,634 | $ | 256,124,000 | ||||
| Total liabilities(3) |
$ | 151,634 | $ | 8,750,000 | ||||
| Value of shares of common stock which may be redeemed for cash(4) |
$ | — | $ | 255,000,000 | ||||
| Stockholders’ equity (deficit)(5) |
$ | 24,000 | $ | (7,626,000 | ) | |||
| (1) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes the $1,100,000 held outside the trust account, plus $24,000 of actual stockholders’ equity at October 25, 2021. |
| (2) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes the $255,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus the $1,100,000 held outside the trust account, plus $24,000 of actual stockholders’ equity at October 25, 2021. |
| (3) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes the $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions. |
| (4) | The “as adjusted” value of shares of common stock which may be redeemed for cash is derived by taking 25,000,000 shares which may be redeemed, representing the maximum number of shares that may be redeemed multiplied by a redemption price of $10.20. |
| (5) | All of the 25,000,000 shares of Series A common stock sold as a part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with our liquidation, if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with our initial business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with SEC and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the shares of Series A common stock sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of shares of Series A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. Our shares of Series A common stock are subject to ASC-480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, we have the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earlier redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement will be treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). |
The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the public units and the private placement warrants, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid such that we have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon consummation of this offering and upon consummation of our initial business combination.
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The “as adjusted” total assets amount includes the $255,000,000 held in the trust account (or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) for the benefit of our public stockholders, which amount will be available to us only upon the completion of our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination (if a vote is required or being obtained).
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Search For, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenue, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a blank check company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning our initial business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenue.
Past performance by our management team or Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in our company.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team or Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in our company or the returns our company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of October 25, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $151,634. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
The requirement that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned and less any interest earned thereon that is released to us for taxes) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination may limit the type and number of companies that we may complete such a business combination with.
Pursuant to the Nasdaq listing rules, the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable
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on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. This restriction may limit the type and number of companies that we may complete an initial business combination with. If we are unable to locate a target business or businesses that satisfy this fair market value test, we may be forced to liquidate and you will only be entitled to receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may consummate 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 rules or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting, but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, 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. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see “Proposed Business—Initial Business Combination—Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination” for additional information. Our founders 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.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our founders, executive officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies in which the founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees agree to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection with an initial business combination, our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any common stock held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares held by our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, we would need 9,425,001 or approximately 37.7%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised and 937,500 founder shares are forfeited) in order to have such initial business combination approved. We expect that our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, and their permitted transferees will own approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote (assuming they do not purchase public units in this offering). Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
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Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
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. Because our Board of Directors may consummate our initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination. Accordingly, 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.
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 our initial business combination with a target.
We may enter into a 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 may not be able to meet such closing condition, and as a result, would not be able to proceed with such 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 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon the consummation of our initial business combination or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require us to provide all of our public stockholders with an opportunity to redeem all of their shares in connection with the consummation of any 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 any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon the consummation of our initial business combination, 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 would be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into our initial business combination transaction with us.
Because our trust account will initially contain $10.20 per share of Series A common stock, public stockholders may be more incentivized to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination.
Our trust account will initially contain $10.20 per share of Series A common stock. This is different than some other similarly structured blank check companies for which the trust account will only contain $10.00 per share of Class A or Series A common stock. As a result of the additional funds that could be available to public stockholders upon redemption of public shares, our public stockholders may be more incentivized to redeem their public shares and not to hold those shares of Series A common stock through our initial business combination. A higher percentage of redemptions by our public stockholders could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to consummate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In connection with the successful consummation of our initial business combination, we may redeem up to that number of shares of Series A common stock that would permit us to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement
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relating to the initial business combination upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, the redemption threshold may be further limited. Alternatively, we may need to arrange third-party financing to help fund our business combination in case a larger percentage of stockholders exercise their redemption rights than we expect. If the acquisition involves the issuance of our shares as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our shares to the target or its stockholders to make up for the failure to satisfy a minimum cash requirement. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.
The requirement that we maintain a minimum net worth or retain a certain amount of cash could increase the probability that our business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If, pursuant to the terms of our proposed business combination, we are required to maintain a minimum net worth or retain a certain amount of cash in trust in order to consummate the business combination and regardless of whether we proceed with redemptions under the tender or proxy rules, the probability that our business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate. If you need 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 our 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 our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination and may limit the amount of time we have to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to consummate our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning our initial business combination will be aware that we must consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target businesses may obtain leverage over us in negotiating our initial 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. In July 2021, the SEC charged a special purpose acquisition company for misleading disclosures, which could have been corrected with more adequate due diligence, and obtained substantial relief against the special purpose acquisition company and its sponsor. Although we will invest in due diligence efforts and commit management time and resources to such efforts, there can be no assurance that our due diligence will unveil all potential issues with a target business and that we or our sponsor will not become subject to regulatory actions related to such efforts.
We may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and consummate our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in
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the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the require time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than five business days thereafter, distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public stockholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. This redemption of public stockholders from the trust account shall be effected as required by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and prior to any voluntary winding up.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from stockholders, in which case they may influence a vote in favor of a proposed business combination that you do not support.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules), our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates are permitted to purchase shares of our common stock in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such purchase would be required to include a contractual acknowledgement that the selling stockholder, although he may still be the record holder of the shares being sold, would, upon consummation of such sale, no longer be the beneficial owner of such shares and would agree not to exercise the redemption rights applicable to such shares. In the event that our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates purchase shares of common stock in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, any such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares of Series A common stock prior to the consummation of the transaction.
The purpose of such purchases could be to (1) increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or (2) 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 the business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the consummation of an initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
Purchases of shares of our Series A common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions by our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may make it difficult for us to maintain the listing of our Series A common stock on Nasdaq following the consummation of an initial business combination.
If our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares of our Series A common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, the public “float” of our Series A common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities would both be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain the listing or trading of our securities on Nasdaq following consummation of the initial business combination.
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You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your securities, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of a redemption to public stockholders prior to any winding up in the event we do not consummate our initial business combination or our liquidation, (ii) if they redeem their shares in connection with an initial business combination that we consummate or, (iii) if they redeem their shares 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to our pre-business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to the funds in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your securities, potentially at a loss.
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amount in our trust account at such time. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to complete our 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, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, 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 may have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, offerings subject to Rule 419 would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our consummation of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
We may engage our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, 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.
We may engage our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, 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. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would 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 issued and outstanding shares of our Series A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of the issued and outstanding shares of our Series A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, individually or 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), would be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares of Series A common stock sold in this offering without our prior written consent. Your inability to redeem an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares of Series A common stock sold in this offering will reduce your influence over our ability to consummate our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell such excess shares in open market transactions. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, you would be required to sell your shares in open market transaction, potentially at a loss.
If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least 18 months following the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account, plus the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be available to us, may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least 18 months following the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not consummated during that time. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business.
We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we are unable to fund such down payments or “no shop” provisions, our ability to close a contemplated transaction could be impaired. Furthermore, if we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, or we may be subject to restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our Series A common stock, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct thorough due diligence on a target business with which we combine, this diligence may not surface all material issues that may be present with a particular target business. Factors outside of the target business and outside of our control may, at any time, 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
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as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing.
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 $10.20 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 or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public 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. Our independent registered public accounting firm and the underwriters of this offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
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 we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.20 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (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 transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.20 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.
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Our directors may decide not to enforce indemnification obligations against 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 (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine on our behalf whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations on our behalf, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including restrictions on the nature of our investments and restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including registration as an investment company with the SEC, adoption of a specific form of corporate structure and reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
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 consummate our initial business combination.
Our search for a target business or businesses, with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 outbreak has and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business or businesses which we consummate an initial business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete an initial business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target business’ personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for an initial business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to
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consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business or businesses with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
Although the initial outbreak subsided for a period of time, new variant strains of COVID-19 have emerged in different locations around the world, including the new Delta variant, which appears to be the most transmissible variant to date. The impact of the Delta and other variants cannot be predicted at this time and could depend on numerous factors, including vaccination rates among the population, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against new variants and the response by governmental bodies and regulators.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will continue in existence only until 18 months from the closing of this offering. As promptly as reasonably possible following the redemptions we are required to make to our public stockholders in such event, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board of Directors, we would dissolve and liquidate, subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
The grant of registration rights to our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Series A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on the date of this prospectus, our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, and their respective permitted transferees, can demand that we register for resale an aggregate of 6,250,000 founder shares (or 7,187,500 founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and 7,900,000 private placement warrants (or 8,900,000 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and the underlying securities.
We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our
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securities. 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 securities that is expected when the securities owned by our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, or their respective permitted transferees, are registered for resale.
Because we are not limited to any particular business or specific geographic location or any specific target business, industry or sector with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations.
Although we intend to focus on the mobility sector, we may pursue acquisition opportunities in any geographic region and in any business industry or sector. Except for the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) and that we are not permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to our initial 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 consummate 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 may not 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. An investment in our units may not ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in an acquisition target.
We may seek acquisition opportunities outside the mobility sector, which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside the mobility sector, which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise, if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any stockholder who chooses to remain a stockholder 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.
Although we identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we consummate our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria or guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business
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that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce our initial 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 the rules of Nasdaq, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with our management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.
Subject to the Nasdaq listing rules requirement that our initial business combination occur with one or more target businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Investors will be relying on management’s ability to identify business combinations, evaluate their merits, conduct or monitor diligence and conduct negotiations. Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm, and consequently, an independent source may not confirm that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we consummate our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm 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. Our Board of Directors will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target acquisition. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
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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.
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 consummate our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
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; |
| • | 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; |
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| • | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| • | local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
| • | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
| • | challenges in managing and staffing international operations; |
| • | 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 and wars; and |
| • | deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
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 initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a stockholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders to pay such taxes. Stockholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be largely dependent upon the efforts of our executive officers, directors and key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of our executive officers, directors, or key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our business.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have
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conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us. Additionally, we do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
The role of such key persons in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of such persons may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, our assessment of these individuals may not 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.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the consummation 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 consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our key personnel may not 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.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’ management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon consummation of our initial business combination. The loss of an acquisition 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 consummation 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 some members of the management team of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
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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 an initial business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. In particular, certain of our officers and directors serve as an officer or director of ACA I, a blank check company sponsored by affiliates of our sponsor. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Directors and Officers.”
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, including other blank check companies, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors 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, officers or directors 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.
In particular, affiliates of our sponsor are currently sponsoring ACA I, another blank check company. We may seek to complete a business combination in any location and, although we are focusing on completing a business combination with a business combination target in the mobility sector, we may complete a business combination in any industry and, like us, ACA I may seek to complete a business combination in any location or industry. For example, each of Messrs. Ahmad, Eisenberg and Jordan are currently officers and directors of, and Messrs. Dove and Kahlon and Ms. Lord are each directors of, ACA I, and each owes fiduciary duties to ACA I. Any such companies, including ACA I, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” our officers or directors also may become aware of business opportunities, which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary duties or contractual obligations. 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. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
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We may engage in our initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our founders, executive officers, directors or director nominees, which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, director nominees, executive 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. Additionally, in light of the involvement of our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, and each of their affiliates, with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our founders, executive officers or directors, or any of their affiliates. Our directors also serve as executive officers and board members for other entities. In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to consummate our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no 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 our initial business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Initial Business Combination—Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent account firm regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our founders, executive officers, directors, or director nominees, 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. Our directors have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of our stockholders, whether or not a conflict of interest may exist.
Since each of our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees will lose any investment in us if our initial business combination is not consummated, and our officers and directors have significant financial interests in us, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular acquisition target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
In October 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share. Certain of our directors and certain members of our management team currently have or will have a financial interest in our sponsor. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and/or its designees has committed to purchase 7,900,000 private placement warrants (or 8,900,000 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), for an aggregate purchase price of $11,850,000 (or $13,350,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). All of the foregoing private placement warrants (and the underlying securities) will also be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. In addition, at the closing of our initial business combination, our sponsor will be repaid an aggregate of up to $1,750,000 in loans, which our sponsor will commit at the closing of this offering to cover working capital costs and to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination following this offering, in addition to any additional loans our sponsor chooses to make. The personal and financial interests of our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees 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. In addition, the low acquisition cost of the founder shares creates an economic incentive whereby certain of our directors and certain members of our management team could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.
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We may issue additional shares of Series 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 shares of Series 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 100,000,000 shares of Series A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of Series B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 75,000,000 and 3,750,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 937,500 shares of Series B common stock) authorized but unissued shares of Series A common stock and Series 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 Series B common stock. The Series B common stock is automatically convertible into Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Immediately after this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Series 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 shares of Series A common stock to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants” or upon conversion of the Series 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 as set forth therein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to 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 as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 18 months from the closing of this offering. 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 in this offering; |
| • | may subordinate the rights of holders of Series A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Series A common stock; |
| • | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of Series 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; and |
| • | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Series A common stock and/or warrants. |
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete our initial business combination, which may adversely affect our financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus (other than up to $1,750,000 in loans which our sponsor will commit at the closing of this offering to cover working capital costs and to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination following this offering) to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to
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incur substantial debt to complete initial business combination. Furthermore, we may issue a substantial number of additional common or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan upon or after consummation of our initial business combination. We and our officers and directors 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 any 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 our 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 security is outstanding; |
| • | our inability to pay dividends on our 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 common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| • | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| • | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| • | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, and the sale of the private placement 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.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with approximately $255,000,000 (or approximately $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination including deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously. 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 consummating our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities, which may have the 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 |
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| • | 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 consummate business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to consummate 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 the initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
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 preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available 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.
We may attempt to consummate our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in our initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information typically 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 our initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
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Our management team and our stockholders may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We currently anticipate structuring our initial business combination to acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that we will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
Unlike many blank check companies, we do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Since we have no specified percentage threshold for redemption contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our structure is different in this respect from the structure that has been used by many blank check companies. Historically, blank check companies would not be able to consummate an initial business combination if the holders of such company’s public shares voted against a proposed business combination and elected to redeem more than a specified maximum percentage of the shares sold in such company’s initial public offering, which percentage threshold was typically between 19.99% and 39.99%. As a result, many blank check companies were unable to complete a business combination because the amount of shares voted by their public stockholders electing redemption exceeded the maximum redemption threshold pursuant to which such company could proceed with its initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to consummate 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 initial business combination pursuant to a tender offer, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to us or our founders, executive officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. However, 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 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination] upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Furthermore, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares and the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares and the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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The ability of our public stockholders to exercise their redemption rights may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many public stockholders may exercise redemption rights, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such redemption, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our initial business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.
We may be unable to consummate an initial business combination if a target business requires that we have a certain amount of cash at closing, in which case public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait until our redemption of the public shares to receive a pro rata share of the trust account or attempt to sell their shares in the open market.
A potential target may make it a closing condition to our initial business combination that we have a certain amount of cash in excess of the $5,000,001 of net tangible assets we are required to have pursuant to our organizational documents available at the time of closing. If the number of our public stockholders electing to exercise their redemption rights has the effect of reducing the amount of money available to us to consummate an initial business combination below such minimum amount required by the target business and we are not able to locate an alternative source of funding, we will not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. In that case, public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait the full 18 months from the closing of this offering, in order to be able to receive a portion of the trust account, or attempt to sell their shares in the open market prior to such time, in which case they may receive less than they would have in a liquidation of the trust account.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we intend to offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of the proposed business combination and still seek redemption of such stockholders’ shares.
In connection with any meeting held to approve an initial business combination, we intend to offer each public stockholder (but not our founders, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of Series A common stock redeemed for cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) without voting and, if they do vote, regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. This is different than other similarly structured blank check companies where stockholders are offered the right to redeem their shares only when they vote against a proposed business combination. This threshold and the ability to seek redemption while voting in favor of a proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Series A common stock in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.
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
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expiration date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or in the event we distribute proxy materials, up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, this may not be the case. Under our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise redemption rights. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their redemption rights and thus may be unable to redeem their shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares, its shares may not be redeemed.
Additionally, despite our compliance with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, stockholders may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem their shares.
Redeeming stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.
We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Series A common stock in connection with any proposed business combination to comply with the delivery requirements discussed above for redemption. If such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our Series A common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.
Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private equity groups, venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds, operating businesses and other blank check companies competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Therefore, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking stockholder approval of our initial business combination may delay the consummation of a transaction. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.
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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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and founder shares will be sufficient to consummate our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement 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 repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination, the election to be excused from its purchase obligations 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. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor will commit at the closing of this offering $1,750,000 to be provided to us to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. Additional financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular initial business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to consummate 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.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without stockholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the letter agreements among us and our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, and the registration rights agreement among us and our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to this offering contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction with such target business (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
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 United States 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
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tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or International Financial Reporting Standard as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and consummate our initial business combination within our 18 month time frame.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing a business combination.
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 will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our 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 business combination.
We may face risks related to businesses in the mobility sector.
Business combinations with businesses in the mobility sector entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
| • | an inability to compete effectively in a highly competitive environment with many incumbents having substantially greater resources; |
| • | an inability to manage rapid change, increasing consumer expectations and growth; |
| • | an inability to build strong brand identity and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty; |
| • | a reliance on proprietary technology to provide services and to manage our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively, or our failure to use such technology effectively; |
| • | an inability to deal with our customers’ privacy concerns; |
| • | an inability to attract and retain customers; |
| • | an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend; |
| • | any significant disruption in our computer systems or those of third parties that we would utilize in our operations; |
| • | an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license content to us upon acceptable terms; |
| • | potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute; |
| • | competition for the discretionary spending of customers, which may intensify in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior; |
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| • | disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of computer viruses, “cyber-attacks,” misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, accidental releases of information or similar events; |
| • | an inability to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support; and |
| • | reliance on third-party vendors or service providers. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the mobility sector. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect the business, investments and results of our operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we are 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 the business, investments and results of our operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Securities
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 our common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered Board of Directors and the ability of our Board of Directors to designate the terms of, and issue new series of, preferred stock, 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.
In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
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 provides, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (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, agent or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or our
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directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the 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 shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction over such action or proceeding, then state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware). Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe this forum 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. Further, if any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not purport to require suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act to be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or another court of the State of Delaware. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
We do not currently intend to hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after our consummation of a business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.
We do not currently intend to hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate a business combination (unless required by Nasdaq), and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors, in accordance with a company’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws, unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. If our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of a 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.
Our Sponsor, as the holder of our Series B Common Stock, will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.
The holders of the Series B Common Stock have the exclusive right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, we do not expect to hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The holders of the Series B Common Stock will also have the exclusive right to vote on the removal of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Investors may view our units as less attractive than those of other blank check companies.
Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of shares and warrants each to purchase one full share in their initial public offerings, we are selling units that are each comprised of one share of Series A common stock and one-half of a warrant to purchase one share of Series A common stock. The warrants will expire and be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. Furthermore, only whole warrants may be exercised. As a result, unless you acquire at least two warrants, you will not be able to receive
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or trade a whole warrant. Accordingly, investors in this offering will not be issued the same securities as part of their investment as they may have in other blank check company offerings, which may have the effect of limiting the potential upside value of your investment in our Company.
Holders of warrants will not participate in liquidating distributions if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, the warrants will expire and holders will not receive any of such proceeds with respect to the warrants. In this case, holders of warrants are treated in the same manner as holders of warrants of blank check companies whose units are comprised of shares and warrants, as the warrants in those companies do not participate in liquidating distributions. Nevertheless, the foregoing may provide a financial incentive to public stockholders to vote in favor of any proposed initial business combination as each of their whole warrants would entitle the holder to purchase one share of Series A common stock, resulting in an increase in their overall economic stake in our company. If a business combination is not approved, the warrants will expire and will be worthless.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, public holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis” which would result in a fewer number of shares being issued to the holder had such holder exercised the warrants for cash.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of warrant shares that a holder will receive upon exercise of its public warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised its warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the issuance of the warrant shares is available. Under the terms of the public warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our commercially reasonable efforts to meet these conditions and to maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our Company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless. 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. If the issuance of the warrant shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrants shall not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Series A common stock included in the units. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the private placement warrants may be exercisable for unregistered warrant shares for cash even if the prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not current and effective.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its warrants (including any warrants held by our founders or any of their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of warrant shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had
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such holder exercised his warrants for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Series A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under the public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The public warrant agreement will provide that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the warrants with the consent of 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 stock or cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of warrant shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant. Any amendment solely to the private placement warrants shall require the vote or written consent of a majority of the holders of the outstanding private placement warrants.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.0035 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $246,250,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, as well as the value of our public and private warrants. At such valuation, our common stock would have an implied value of $7.88 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 21.2% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00 (the price per unit in this offering, assuming no value to the public warrants).
| Public shares |
25,000,000 | |||
| Founder shares |
6,250,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total shares |
31,250,000 | |||
| Total funds in trust available for initial business combination (less deferred underwriting commissions) |
$ | 246,250,000 | ||
| Initial implied value per public share |
$ | 10.00 | ||
| Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination |
$ | 7.88 |
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Our management team and our sponsor may make a profit on any initial business combination, even if any public stockholders who did not redeem their shares would experience a loss on that business combination. As a result, the economic interests of our management team and our sponsor may not fully align with the economic interests of public stockholders.
Like most SPACs, our structure may not fully align the economic interests of our sponsor and those persons, including our officers and directors, who have interests in our sponsor, with the economic interests of our public stockholders. Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $11,875,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $11,850,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 6,250,000 founder shares owned by our sponsor and our officers and directors would have an aggregate implied value of $62,500,000. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as $1.90 per share, and the private placement warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be approximately equal to the sponsor’s aggregate initial investment in us. As a result, so long as we complete an initial business combination, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares lose significant value. Accordingly, our sponsor and members of our management team who own interests in our sponsor may have incentives to pursue and consummate an initial business combination quickly, with a risky or not well established target business, and/or on transaction terms favorable to the equityholders of the target business, rather than continue to seek a more favorable business combination transaction that could result in an improved outcome for our public stockholders or liquidate and return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our sponsor’s and management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to invest in this offering and/or redeem your shares prior to or in connection with an initial business combination.
Our warrant agreements (as defined below) will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our public warrant agreement and our warrant agreement for our private placement warrants (the “private warrant agreement” together with the public warrant agreement, the “warrant agreements”) will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreements, 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 agreements will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreements. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreements, 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.
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This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreements inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Series A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 20,400,000 shares of our Series A common stock (or up to 23,275,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), as part of the units offered by this prospectus, and private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 7,900,000 shares of Series A common stock (or up to 8,900,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), as part of a private placement. In each case, the warrants are exercisable at a price of $11.50 per whole share of Series A common stock. To the extent we issue shares of Series A common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Series A common stock upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of Series A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Series A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Certain 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 65% of our issued and outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that amendments to any its provisions relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholder rights, including the substance and timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. If an amendment to any such provision is approved by the requisite stockholder vote, then the corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended. Subsequent to this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote as a class with our public shares on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our founders, executive officers and directors will collectively beneficially own approximately 20% of our outstanding common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any public units in this offering), and they may participate in any vote to amend 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 our initial business combination with which you do not agree. In certain circumstances, our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
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Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Upon consummation of our offering, our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees will own approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming they do not purchase any public units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees will have a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
Upon consummation of our offering, our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees will own approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming they do not purchase any public units in this offering). None of our founders, executive officers, directors, director nominees or any of their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering or any public units or shares of Series A common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our founders, executive officers, directors or any of their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of stockholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination our founders, as well as all of our executive officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately before this offering, as well as any shares of Series A common stock acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.
In addition, our Board of Directors will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” Board of Directors, only a portion of the Board of Directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
Our founders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per founder share; accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our public shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the public shares and none to the warrants included in the public units) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of Series A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our founders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 112.2% or $11.22 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book deficit per share of $(1.22) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per share of Series A common stock).
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The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the shares of Series A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:
| • | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
| • | prior offerings of those companies; |
| • | our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
| • | a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
| • | our capital structure; |
| • | assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
| • | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| • | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
Although we intend to apply to list our securities on Nasdaq, as of the date of this prospectus there is currently no market for our securities. Prospective stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market, economic or geopolitical conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Once listed on Nasdaq, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. Additionally, if our securities become delisted from Nasdaq for any reason, and are quoted on the OTC Pink Sheets, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities not listed on a national exchange, the liquidity and price of our securities may be more limited than if we were listed on Nasdaq or another national exchange. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
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 intend to apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Series A common stock and warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity and a minimum number of holders of our securities. Additionally, in
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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 stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share 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 our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| • | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| • | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| • | a determination that our Series A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Series 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. |
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 Series A common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Series 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 such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors.
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 Series A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not
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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.
There has been and may in the future be diversity in the capital structure, financial accounting policies, and resultant financial reporting by SPACs, which may impact the market price for our Series A common stock and our ability to complete a business combination.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC issued a statement related to warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies, which resulted in the warrants issued by many special purpose acquisition companies being classified as liabilities rather than equity as previously reported. While we are accounting for our warrants as equity, further statements by the SEC relating to accepted accounting of special purpose acquisition companies could result in the correction of accounting errors in previously issued financial statements, restatements of previously issued audited financial statements, the filing of notices that previously issued financial statements may not be relied upon and findings of material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in internal controls over financial reporting.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained in this prospectus, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance, and any other statements of a future or forward-looking nature, constitute “forward-looking statements” for the purpose of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
| • | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| • | our 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 ability to complete an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 outbreak; |
| • | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| • | our pool of prospective target businesses, including their industry and geographic location; |
| • | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
| • | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; |
| • | failure to list or delisting of our securities from Nasdaq or an inability to have our securities listed on Nasdaq following a business combination; |
| • | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| • | the lack of a market for our securities; or |
| • | our financial performance following this offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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We are offering 25,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
| Without Over-Allotment Option |
Over-Allotment Option Exercised |
|||||||
| Gross proceeds |
||||||||
| Gross proceeds from units offered to public |
$ | 250,000,000 | $ | 287,500,000 | ||||
| Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement |
11,850,000 | 13,350,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total gross proceeds |
$ | 261,850,000 | $ | 300,850,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Estimated Offering expenses(1) |
||||||||
| Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(2) |
$ | 5,000,000 | $ | 5,750,000 | ||||
| Legal fees and expenses |
375,000 | 375,000 | ||||||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
60,000 | 60,000 | ||||||
| SEC expenses |
26,651 | 26,651 | ||||||
| FINRA expenses |
43,625 | 43,625 | ||||||
| Nasdaq listing and filing fees |
75,000 | 75,000 | ||||||
| Printing and engraving expenses |
40,000 | 40,000 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous expenses(3) |
129,724 | 129,724 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) |
$ | 750,000 | $ | 750,000 | ||||
| Proceeds after offering expenses |
$ | 256,100,000 | $ | 294,350,000 | ||||
| Held in the trust account |
$ | 255,000,000 | $ | 293,250,000 | ||||
| % of public offering size |
102 | % | 102 | % | ||||
| Not held in the trust account(4) |
$ | 1,100,000 | $ | 1,100,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,100,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account(4)
| Amount | % Total | |||||||
| Legal, accounting, due diligence and other expenses in connection with any business combination |
$ | 350,000 | 31.8 | % | ||||
| Director and Officer liability insurance premiums |
450,000 | 40.9 | % | |||||
| Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations |
120,000 | 10.9 | % | |||||
| Nasdaq continued listing fees |
75,000 | 6.8 | % | |||||
| Other miscellaneous expenses |
75,000 | 6.8 | % | |||||
| Reserve for liquidation expenses |
30,000 | 2.7 | % | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total |
$ | 1,100,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| (1) | A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of the loan from our sponsor of up to $250,000 as described in this prospectus. This loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
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| (2) | The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon and concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination, up to $8,750,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) which constitutes the underwriter’s deferred commissions will be paid to the representative from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released by the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriter will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. |
| (3) | Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceeds estimates. |
| (4) | These expenses are estimates only and do not include interest which may be available to us from the trust account. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an initial business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. |
Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the $261,850,000 in gross proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, or $300,850,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, $255,000,000 ($10.20 per unit), or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit), will be deposited into a trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting an aggregate of $750,000 (excluding the underwriting discount) to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and $1,100,000 for working capital following this offering. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $51,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.02% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. We expect that the interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay income taxes. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes, until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using shares or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the purchase price in connection with our business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes,
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including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating the initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 18 months from the closing of this offering.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of our initial business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. In this event, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from members of our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, but such members of our management team are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $250,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of April 30, 2022 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $750,000 (excluding the underwriting discount) of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor will commit at the closing of this offering $1,750,000 to be provided to us to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us additional funds as may be required. If we consummate our 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 offering proceeds 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 loan may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loan, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loan. 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.
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 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Furthermore, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our consummation of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Series A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, or, if our charter documents are amended to so provide, (iii) the redemption of our public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our sponsor, founders, directors, director nominees and executive officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (1) waive their redemption rights with respect to any common stock held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights and (2) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our founders, executive officers, directors, or director nominees acquire public shares after this offering they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month time frame.
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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. In addition, our Board of Directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the representation by the founder shares of 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming no purchase of any public units in this offering). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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The difference between the public offering price per share, assuming no value is attributed to the public warrants or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of shares of Series A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of issued and outstanding shares of Series A common stock.
At October 25, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $(151,634), or approximately $(0.02) per share. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 shares of Series A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised), and the deduction of estimated expenses of this offering, and the sale of the private placement warrants, our pro forma net tangible book deficit at October 25, 2021 would have been $(7,626,000), or approximately $(1.22) per share, representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value of approximately $(1.20) per share to the founders and an immediate dilution of $11.22 per share, or 112.2%, to new investors not exercising their redemption rights. For purposes of presentation, our pro forma net tangible book deficit after this offering is $(7,626,000) less than it otherwise would have been because if we effect our initial business combination, the redemption rights of the public stockholders (but not our founders) may result in the redemption of up to 25,000,000 shares sold in this offering (assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised).
The following table illustrates the dilution to our public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the public units and the private placement warrants.
| Public offering price |
$ | 10.00 | ||||||
| Net tangible book deficit before this offering |
$ | (0.02 | ) | |||||
| Net decrease attributable to public stockholders and private sales |
(1.20 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|||||||
| Pro forma net tangible book deficit after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants |
(1.22 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|||||||
| Dilution to public stockholders |
$ | 11.22 | ||||||
|
|
|
|||||||
| Percentage of dilution to new investors |
112.2 | % | ||||||
|
|
|
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the new investors:
| Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price per Share |
||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Percentage | Amount | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Holders of founder shares |
6,250,000 | (1) | 20.00 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.004 | ||||||||||
| Public stockholders |
25,000,000 | (2) | 80.00 | % | 250,000,000 | 99.99 | % | $ | 10.00 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
| Total |
31,250,000 | 100.00 | % | $ | 250,025,000 | 100.00 | % | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
| (1) | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares have been forfeited by our founders as a result thereof. |
| (2) | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised. |
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The pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
| Without Over-allotment |
With Over-allotment |
|||||||
| Numerator: |
||||||||
| Net tangible book deficit before this offering |
$ | (151,634 | ) | $ | (151,634 | ) | ||
| Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants, net of expenses(1) |
256,100,000 | 294,350,000 | ||||||
| Plus: Offering costs accrued for or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering |
175,634 | 175,634 | ||||||
| Less: Deferred underwriters’ commissions payable |
(8,750,000 | ) | (10,062,500 | ) | ||||
| Less: Amount of Series A common stock subject to redemption(2) |
(255,000,000 | ) | (293,250,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| $ | (7,626,000 | ) | $ | (8,938,500 | ) | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Without Over-allotment |
With Over-allotment |
|||||||
| Denominator: |
||||||||
| Series B common stock outstanding prior to this offering |
7,187,500 | 7,187,500 | ||||||
| Series B common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised(3) |
(937,500 | ) | — | |||||
| Series A common stock included in the units offered |
25,000,000 | 28,750,000 | ||||||
| Less: Shares subject to redemption |
(25,000,000 | ) | (28,750,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| 6,250,000 | 7,187,500 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| (1) | Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $5,750,000 which include underwriting commissions of $5,000,000 (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.” |
| (2) | 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 sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers, advisors 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. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of shares of Series A common stock subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business—Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.” |
| (3) | Assumes that 937,500 founder shares are forfeited. |
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The following table sets forth our capitalization at October 25, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option and founder shares have been forfeited.
| As of October 25, 2021 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
| Notes payable—related party(1) |
$ | 30,000 | $ | — | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions |
— | 8,750,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Series A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; -0- and 25,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(2)(3) |
— | 255,000,000 | ||||||
| Stockholders’ equity (deficit): |
||||||||
| Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; -0- issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted |
— | — | ||||||
| Series A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; -0- and -0- shares issued and outstanding (excluding -0- and 25,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively |
— | — | ||||||
| Series B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, 7,187,500 and 6,250,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4) |
719 | 625 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital(5) |
24,281 | — | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit |
(1,000 | ) | (7,626,625 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) |
$ | 24,000 | $ | (7,626,000 | ) | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total capitalization |
$ | 54,000 | $ | 256,124,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| (1) | Our sponsor may loan us up to $250,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of any loans made under this note out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. As of October 25, 2021, we had borrowed $30,000 under the promissory note. |
| (2) | Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), subject to any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. The “as adjusted” number of shares of common stock, subject to redemption equals the “as adjusted” total assets of $255,000,000, less the “as adjusted” total stockholders’ equity. The value of the shares of common stock that may be redeemed is equal to $10.20 per share (which is the assumed redemption price), multiplied by 25,000,000 shares of common stock, which is the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be redeemed for a $10.20 purchase price per share. |
| (3) | All of the 25,000,000 shares of Series A common stock sold as a part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with our liquidation, if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with our initial business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with SEC and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the shares of Series A |
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| common stock sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of shares of Series A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. Our shares of Series A common stock are subject to ASC-480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, we have the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earlier redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement will be treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). |
| (4) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and forfeiture of an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares. |
| (5) | The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is equal to the “as adjusted” total stockholders’ equity (deficit) of $(7,626,000), minus shares of common stock (par value) of $625, minus the accumulated deficit of $(7,626,625). |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company newly formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” We have not identified any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive business discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our common equity or any preferred equity that we may create in accordance with the terms of our charter documents, debt, or a combination of cash, common or preferred equity and debt.
The issuance of additional shares or the creation of one or more classes of preferred stock during our initial business combination:
| • | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Series B common stock resulted in the issuance of Series A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Series B common stock; |
| • | may subordinate the rights of holders of Series A common stock if the rights, preferences, designations and limitations attaching to the preferred shares are senior to those afforded our shares of Series A common stock and/or our other securities; |
| • | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of Series 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 share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
| • | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our shares of Series A common stock. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in:
| • | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after our 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 any document governing such debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| • | our inability to pay dividends on our shares of Series 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 Series A common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| • | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| • | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
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| • | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at October 25, 2021 we had no cash, a working capital deficit of $(151,634), and deferred offering costs of $175,634. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenue until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $750,000, and underwriting discounts and commissions of $5,000,000 (or $5,750,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), (2) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $11,850,000 (or $13,350,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $256,100,000 (or $294,350,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), of which amount $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The remaining estimated $1,100,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000 (excluding underwriting discount) we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $750,000 (excluding underwriting discount), the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable by us), to acquire a target business or businesses and to pay our expenses relating thereto. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. We estimate our annual franchise tax obligations, based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding after the completion of this offering, to be $200,000. 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 interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes. To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders’ fees which we had incurred prior to the completion of our initial business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.
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We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the estimated $1,100,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account, together with the $1,750,000 loan our sponsor will commit at the closing of this offering for working capital, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:
| • | $350,000 of expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the structuring and negotiating of our initial business combination; |
| • | $450,000 of expenses for the directors and officers insurance; |
| • | $120,000 of expenses for legal and accounting fees related to SEC reporting obligations; |
| • | $75,000 of Nasdaq continued listing fees; |
| • | $30,000 of reserve for the liquidation expenses; and |
| • | $75,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses, liquidation obligations and reserves. |
If our estimates of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. Following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not completed an assessment of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| • | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| • | reconciliation of accounts; |
| • | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| • | evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
| • | documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
| • | documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
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Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively also may take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Related Party Transactions
In October 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. Prior to the initial investment of $25,000 by our founders, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the representation by the founder shares of 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 937,500 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture, depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised.
Additionally, we have issued a promissory note to our sponsor dated as of October 25, 2021. The note is in the aggregate principal amount of $250,000. The note contains a drawdown feature such that at any time prior to the consummation of this offering we may draw up to an aggregate of $250,000 on the note for general working capital expenses. The note is non-interest bearing and will mature on such date as is the earlier of the date on which we close this offering and April 30, 2022.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of 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.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor will commit at the closing of this offering $1,750,000 to be provided to us to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our founders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. 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. Such loan would be evidenced by promissory notes. Up to $1,500,000 of such loan may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. 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.
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Our founders have committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 7,900,000 private placement warrants (or 8,900,000 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $1.50 per warrant in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering and the over-allotment option, as applicable. All of the proceeds we receive from the purchase of the private placement warrants will be placed in the trust account described below.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with each of our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and the holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, the holders have certain “piggyback” registration rights applicable to registration statements filed after our consummation of an initial business combination. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their lockup restrictions, as described herein. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The amounts in the trust account will be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of October 25, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an 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
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firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements(auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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Our Company
We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated in May 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, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential initial business combination target. We intend to focus our search for a suitable initial business combination target in the next-generation mobility sector, but we may pursue an initial business combination target in any stage of its corporate evolution or in any industry, sector or geographic location.
We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential initial business combination target. However, our management team has previously engaged in discussions with potential business combination targets in their capacity as officers of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. (“ACA I”).
We plan to capitalize on our team’s significant experience in our target sector, as well as our team and our strategic partners’ significant global network of business owners, public and private company executives and board members, investment bankers, private equity investors, attorneys, management consultants and accountants to complete our initial business combination. We believe this approach, and our team’s track record investing and operating in a variety of sub sectors within our target industry, will provide us with compelling opportunities to create and capture value for stockholders. Our independent board members, based on their extensive expertise and knowledge of our target sector, will actively participate in identifying opportunities for our initial business combination. Additionally, we believe our strategic partners’ significant experience in developing and acquiring transformative technologies, will enhance our ability to source proprietary opportunities and to maximize stockholder value following our initial business combination.
We intend to evaluate compelling opportunities related to mobility markets; digital platforms that expand access to mobility; sensor technologies and enabling components; autonomous computing and fleet management systems; next-generation aviation; new powertrain technologies; sustainable infrastructure as they relate to mobility and industrial applications, all of which we believe complement the core competencies of our team and meet our acquisition criteria. We will seek to maximize stockholder value post-acquisition by implementing strategic initiatives that drive efficient growth, develop company leadership and expand access to capital markets. It is our belief that the Company is well-positioned to consummate a business combination in the mobility sector with a target who could benefit from our business strategy.
Our directors, director nominees and officers are as follows:
Shahraab Ahmad has been our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since October 2021. Mr. Ahmad also serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACA I. Prior to this, he most recently served as the Chief Investment Officer for Decca Capital Ltd, a fund founded by Mr. Ahmad that invested across capital structures in the U.S. and Europe from April 2015 until December 2018. Prior to his tenure at Decca Capital Ltd, Mr. Ahmad served as a portfolio manager for Hutchin Hill Capital, LP from 2008 to 2013 and Sailfish Capital Partners, LLC from 2005 to 2008 and J.P. Morgan from 1999 to 2004, where he last co-headed the High Yield Credit trading group. At J.P. Morgan, Mr. Ahmad managed credit portfolios across the U.S. and Europe. We believe Mr. Ahmad’s eight years of experience investing in private technology companies and 20 years of investment experience as an investor across capital structures and hedge fund manager make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
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Anthony D. Eisenberg has been our Chief Strategy Officer and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Eisenberg also serves as Chief Strategy Officer and a director of ACA I. Since 2013, Mr. Eisenberg has managed Tappan Street, a multi-strategy family office with expertise in environmental, social and corporate governance principles and private market investments. Since March 2020, Mr. Eisenberg has also served on the board of advisors of Komma, a mobility company targeting the urban mobility vehicle market. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Eisenberg served on the board of advisors of Michigan Income Principal-Protected Growth Fund, an impact investing fund in partnership with the State of Michigan and the US Department of Treasury and led the firm’s development activities. Mr. Eisenberg began his career in politics working in the Office of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Patton Boggs and the D.C. based research group Marwood Group, prior to his principal investing career, which began at the hedge fund Christofferson Robb & Company. We believe Mr. Eisenberg’s experience in public policy and expertise in private market investments makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Jason Chryssicas has been our Chief Financial Officer since October 2021 and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Over the course of his career, Mr. Chryssicas has served in a variety of leadership positions within financial services and capital markets, including Investor Relations, Investment Banking, Corporate Development and Strategy. Mr. Chryssicas has served in various roles at Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners Inc. since 2013 including his current role as Head of Investor Relations at both firms. Prior to this, Mr. Chryssicas held positions at Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young. We believe Mr. Chryssicas’s experience in financial services, capital markets and investor relations makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors
Burt Jordan has been our President since November 2021 and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Jordan also serves as President and a director of ACA I. Mr. Jordan was an executive at Ford Motor Company (“Ford”) from July 1999 until July 2020, where he most recently served as vice president of Global Purchasing Operations and Supply Chain Sustainability. At Ford, Mr. Jordan was responsible for Ford’s commodity-related and Indirect Purchasing and Supplier Sourcing program around the world for the past 10 years. In June 2020, Mr. Jordan was named the 2020 CPO of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, which recognized his impactful leadership within Ford and the larger supplier-diversity community. We believe Mr. Jordan’s extensive experience as a senior executive of a major automobile corporation and his demonstrated leadership skills make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Joanna Lord will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Lord also serves as a director of ACA I. Since June 2021, Ms. Lord has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Reforge Inc. Prior to joining Reforge, Ms. Lord served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Skyscanner LTD from January 2019 until December 2020 and ClassPass from 2016 to 2019 and the Vice President of Marketing at Porch from 2014 to 2016. We believe Ms. Lord’s 15 years of marketing leadership experience in technology companies makes her well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Bryan Dove will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Dove also serves as a director of ACA I. Since April 2021, Mr. Dove has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CommerceHub. Additionally, since September 2020, Mr. Dove has served as the Chairperson of Travalyst. Prior to this, Mr. Dove was an executive at Skyscanner LTD from June 2015 until June 2020, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Dove was also a director at Skyscanner LTD from 2018 to 2020. Prior to joining Skyscanner, Mr. Dove held several senior leadership positions within the technology industry at Amazon (2014 – 2015), Microsoft (2009 – 2014), and Eclipsys Corporation (2004 – 2009). Mr. Dove also served as a board director at a privately held artificial intelligence company specializing in the real estate and financial sectors (July 2020 – April 2021). We believe Mr. Dove’s experience as a CEO and senior executive leading and scaling high-growth companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
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Iqbaljit Kahlon will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Kahlon also serves as a director of ACA I. Since June 2014, Mr. Kahlon has served as the managing partner of Tomales Bay Capital, a global investment firm with a focus on innovative companies, and since August 2015, the executive chairman of Hive, an artificial intelligence company specializing in computer vision and deep learning. At Tomales Bay Capital, Mr. Kahlon invested in innovative and technology-based companies including SpaceX. We believe Mr. Kahlon’s experience in investing in innovative and technology-based companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Darren Stanwood will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Since October 2015, Mr. Stanwood has served as the managing member of Fields Texas Ltd. Holdings LLC, a private investment and retail advisory firm focused on the global consumer and retail sectors. We believe Mr. Stanwood’s experience in investing in the global consumer and retail industries makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Dominick J. Schiano will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Since July 2007, Mr. Schiano has served as the President and Co-Founding Partner of Evergreen. Evergreen provides advisory services and co-invests with private equity sponsors under exclusive contractual relationships and was previously engaged by The Gores Group where Mr. Schiano was responsible for sourcing investment opportunities, and providing strategic, operational and financial guidance with respect to portfolio company investments in the industrial sector. Evergreen has also previously been engaged by TowerBrook Capital Partners where Mr. Schiano was a member of the Management Advisory Board and by DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, the private equity arm of Credit Suisse where he served as Vice Chairman—Global Industrial Partners. Mr. Schiano has also served on numerous local government, private company, joint venture and public company boards, including STR Holdings Inc. (NYSE: STRI) where he served on the Audit and Special Transaction Committees and Material Sciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MASC) where he served on the Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees and led the Special Committee responsible for its sale in 2013. Prior to forming Evergreen, Mr. Schiano served as a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee of Questor Partners Funds. Previously, Mr. Schiano served in various senior executive roles at Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), TRW Inc, Wickes Companies Inc., and its predecessor, Gulf+Western Industries Inc. We believe Mr. Schiano’s experience in providing investment advisory services and co-investing with private equity sponsors makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
The past performance of the members of our management team, ACA I or their affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management or any of their affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance. None of our officers or directors has had any experience with any blank check companies in the past.
Special Advisor
Apeiron Investment Group is the family office and merchant banking business of Christian Angermayer. Apeiron Investment Group provides strategic and operational support for a variety of investment initiatives and entrepreneurial pursuits. The firm invests across all phases of a company’s life cycle with an emphasis on early-stage opportunities. Apeiron has investment expertise in financial services, deep technology, life sciences, media & entertainment and real estate technology. Apeiron has several significant portfolio investments, including: ATAI Life Sciences AG, CRYPTOLOGY Asset Group PLC, Rejuveron Life Sciences AG, Presight Capital, Elevate Capital and Apeiron Advisory LTD, which serve specific mandates as part of Apeiron Investment Group’s broader strategy. Apeiron Investment Group also serves as a special advisor to ACA I.
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Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that demonstrates significant value creation opportunities for our stockholders and could benefit from our team’s expertise. Our business combination evaluation process will be informed by our team’s knowledge of the mobility sector and meet certain criteria that we elaborate on in the “Business Combination Criteria” section below. Additionally, we will leverage our global network of business owners, public and private company executives and board members, investment bankers, private equity investors, attorneys, management consultants and accountants, which we believe will provide us with access to attractive business combination opportunities in our target sector. Our team has experience:
| • | operating and investing in the mobility and related technology sectors; |
| • | scaling high growth companies through organic and acquisition-based strategic investments; |
| • | identifying and developing talented, high performing and resilient management teams; |
| • | sourcing investment opportunities, structuring complex transactions, and acquiring and selling businesses; |
| • | fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and |
| • | accessing public and private capital markets over multiple business cycles. |
Following the completion of this offering, we will promptly begin to source a target for our initial business combination. Though we’ve not engaged in discussions with any particular company, we do have a prioritized list of targets entities we will seek to engage. We intend to use our mobility sector insight and access to key ecosystem operators to quickly identify a company with a strong competitive position that could benefit from being a public company and our team’s expertise.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we intend to acquire a company in the mobility sector that has a favorable market position and long-term prospects for value creation.
As part of our risk-mitigation and investment thesis validation processes, we’ll perform rigorous due diligence, including: financial and operational data analyses, legal documentation reviews, management and key personnel assessments, interviews with key suppliers and channel partners, and inspection of facilities, as applicable. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria and guidelines.
| • | Large Markets. We intend to target companies that operate or will operate in a large addressable market in the mobility sector and related technologies. Our management team and our board have significant expertise in these markets through their past investing and operating activities and therefore are experienced at analyzing and evaluating companies in these markets; |
| • | High Growth. We intend to target companies that are experiencing high rates of growth or are poised to do so. Companies with such growth rates typically have disruptive technologies, superior products to competitors and the tailwinds from the shifting nature of their underlying market; |
| • | Competitive Edge. We aim to target companies that are set up for long term growth and as such, have a competitive edge. This may include first to market, network effects, a lead in technology and access to the key customers. A target company’s management team and engineering/technical teams will be a key part of our evaluation. The right combination of management and technical expertise at a target company will be the key to long term success for these types of companies. Our management team and our board have significant experience in understanding such companies and evaluating a company’s management and technical expertise; |
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| • |
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| • | Long-Term Attractive Business Models. We intend to acquire a business pursuing high-growth and large consumer or commercial markets where the business model is structured for long run profitability. Our management, our board and our special advisors have experience in identifying such business models and helping such businesses carry out their vision. We will seek out companies that in the long run enjoy high margins, defensible markets and deliver superior returns; |
| • | ESG Values. We believe that the next generation of mobility solutions will be geared towards Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance principles and that investors are acutely aware of the benefits of these principles. As such, we will acquire a business that is aligned with ESG values and if necessary, help the business move further in that direction. We believe our team has expertise in this area through their previous investing experiences; |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant.
In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information which will be made available to us.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets
We believe certain privately held companies and their stockholders could benefit from a transaction with us. Business combination targets that are developing core technologies and pursuing disruptive commercialization strategies may need access to stable capital but lack access to public markets. Our team has the necessary technical, operating and transactional expertise to identify attractive acquisition targets who would most benefit from the value we seek to deliver to our stockholders vis-à-vis our initial business combination. The primary sourcing activities of our team will emanate from its access to high quality deal flow that meet our acquisition criteria; the result of successfully investing in, scaling and operating innovative companies.
Our team has established broad networks and strong relationships over their decades of experience in relevant industries. We believe these strengths will represent a competitive advantage for the Company during its search process and will ultimately lead to an attractive pool of business combination targets. We intend to be the primary actors in our sourcing activities, reducing the dependency on marketed transactions by third parties. It is our belief that approaching targets directly will lead to a more collaborative process, one that seeks to create value for all stakeholders through the business combination process. It is our intent to source business
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combination targets that meet and are aligned with the ESG principles commonly understood and described by the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations’ Environment Program Finance Initiative.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive 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 stating 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.
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to one or more other entities, including ACA I, 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 other entity.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers and directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, founders, officers and directors may sponsor, form, or become an officer or director of, other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. For example, each of Messrs. Ahmad, Eisenberg and Jordan are currently officers and directors of, and Messrs. Dove and Kahlon and Ms. Lord are each directors of, ACA I, and each owes fiduciary duties to ACA I. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. In particular, affiliates of our sponsor are currently sponsoring ACA I, another blank check company. Any such companies, including ACA I, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Lastly, our founders, 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. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
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Competitive Strengths
We believe we have the following competitive strengths:
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses might find this method a more certain and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, roadshow and public reporting efforts that will likely not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us. Furthermore, once the business combination is consummated, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, that could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests than it would have as a privately-held company. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees. However, there is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop. As a result, this purported benefit may not be realized.
While we believe that our status as a public company will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view the inherent limitations in our status as a blank check company as a deterrent and may prefer to effect a business combination with a more established entity or with a private company. These inherent limitations include limitations on our available financial resources, which may be inferior to those of other entities pursuing the acquisition of similar target businesses; the requirement that we seek stockholder approval of a business combination or conduct a tender offer in relation thereto, which may delay the consummation of a transaction; and the existence of our outstanding warrants, which may represent a source of future dilution.
Financial Position and Flexibility
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) including $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), assuming no redemptions, we can offer a target business a variety of options to facilitate a business combination and fund future expansion and growth of its business. Because we are able to consummate a business combination using the cash proceeds from this offering, our share capital, debt or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use an efficient structure allowing us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to address the needs of the parties. However, if a business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay for the purchase price, we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing. Accordingly, our flexibility in structuring a business combination may be subject to these constraints.
Offering Structure
Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of shares of common stock and warrants to purchase a full share of common stock in their initial public offerings, we are selling units comprised of one share of our Series A common stock and one-half of one warrant to purchase one share of our Series A common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination. Our management believes that investors in
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similarly structured blank check offerings, and those likely to invest in this offering, have come to expect the units of such companies to include one share of common stock and another security which would allow the holders to acquire additional shares of common stock. Without the ability to acquire such additional shares of common stock, our management believes the investors would not be willing to purchase units in such companies’ initial public offerings. Accordingly, because, in our case, the ratio of warrant shares to shares of Series A common stock included in a given purchase of units in this offering is less than the proportion of warrant shares to shares of common stock included in a given purchase of units in the typical structure of other blank check initial public offerings, our management believes we will be viewed more favorably by potential target businesses when determining which company to engage in a business combination with. However, our management may be incorrect in this belief.
Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, our common and preferred equity (if any), new debt, or a combination of these, as the consideration to be paid in effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified. Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and 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.
We Have Not Identified a Target Business
To date, we have not selected any target business on which to concentrate our search for a business combination. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business with respect to such a transaction. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate such companies. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a target business or that we will be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.
Subject to our officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitation that a target business have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Except for the general criteria and guidelines set forth above under
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the caption “Business Strategy,” we have not established any other specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. To the extent we effect a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth companies. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
Sources of Target Businesses
While we have not yet identified any acquisition candidates, we believe based on our combined team’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous acquisition candidates. We expect that our principal means of identifying potential target businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships of our management team. While our founders, executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our founders, executive officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed and their access to their contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our founders, executive officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of 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. Our executive officers and directors must present to us all target business opportunities (presented to such executive officer or director solely in his or her capacity as such) that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis other than with respect to the agreements with certain advisors disclosed in this registration statement, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our sponsor, executive officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the repayment of any loans from our sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses.
Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, executive officers, directors or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our founders, executive officers, directors or their respective affiliates. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.
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Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination
Subject to our executive officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitations that target businesses have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. Except for the general criteria and guidelines set forth above under the caption “Business Strategy,” we have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:
| • | financial condition and results of operation; |
| • | growth potential; |
| • | brand recognition and potential; |
| • | experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel; |
| • | capital requirements; |
| • | competitive position; |
| • | barriers to entry; |
| • | stage of development of the products, processes or services; |
| • | existing distribution and potential for expansion; |
| • | degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services; |
| • | proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas; |
| • | impact of regulation on the business; |
| • | regulatory environment of the industry; |
| • | costs associated with effecting the business combination; |
| • | industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and |
| • | macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.
The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.
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Fair Market Value of Target Business
The target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may acquire a target business whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance.
We currently anticipate structuring our initial business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. In order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such fund-raising arrangement and have no current intention of doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our Board of Directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our Board of Directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after consummation of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By consummating our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| • | subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and |
| • | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
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Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. The future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. Consequently, members of our management team may not become a part of the target’s management team, and the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Further, it is also not certain whether one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination. Moreover, members of our management team may not have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business. Our key personnel may not 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 our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We may not have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination
In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, without voting and, if they do vote, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. We will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, provided, that we may also decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under Nasdaq rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| • | we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) a number of shares of common stock that would either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding; |
| • | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or |
| • | the issuance or potential issuance of shares of our common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender any or all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to
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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. Unlike other blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related redemptions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combination even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act which regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the shares of common stock voted at a stockholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination.
We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait 18 months from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.
Our founders and our executive officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, including the founder shares, (2) not to redeem any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination. As a result, we would need 9,425,001 or approximately 37.7%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming (i) the over-allotment option is not exercised and all shares were present and entitled to vote at the meeting, (ii) 937,500 founder shares have been forfeited and (iii) there are 6,250,000 founder shares outstanding).
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
None of our founders, executive officers, directors, director nominees or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of Series A common stock in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, 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 founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase public 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 , although they are under no obligation to do so. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. There is no limit on the number of shares or warrants such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions.
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In the event our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases of public shares at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. If any of our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates 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. We cannot currently determine whether any of our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as that would be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to the timing and size of any such purchase. Depending on the circumstances, any of our insiders may decide to make purchases of our securities pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or may determine that acting pursuant to such a plan is not required under the Exchange Act.
Our founders, executive officers, directors, director nominees and their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom they may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our founders, executive officers, directors, director nominees 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 the business combination.
We do not currently anticipate that purchases of our public shares or public warrants by any of our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates, 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. 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. None of our founders, directors, director nominees, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will purchase shares of our common stock if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption Rights
At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares of common stock without voting and, if they do vote, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid (which taxes may be paid only from the interest earned on the funds in the trust account). Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of Series A common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.
We may also require public stockholders seeking redemption, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee
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would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise redemption rights to deliver their shares prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.
Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder will have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his redemption rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Series A common stock in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.
The foregoing is different from the procedures historically used by some blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect redemption rights in connection with a blank check company’s business combination, the company 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 redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him to deliver his certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the consummation of the business combination during which he could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he could sell his shares in the open market before actually delivering his shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become a “continuing” right surviving past the consummation of the business combination until the holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to redeem his shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their redemption and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the proposed business combination not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).
If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.
Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public
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shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to the Corporation to pay taxes (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month time period.
Our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed (pursuant to a written letter agreement with us filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part) that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would stop our public stockholders from redeeming their shares of Series A common stock in connection with a business combination or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Series A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our founders, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.
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 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the 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 liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete a business combination within the prescribed time frame, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18-month anniversary of the closing of this offering, and, therefore, we do not intend to
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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 of the DGCL, 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.
We are required to use our reasonable best efforts to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you of this fact as there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. Our underwriters and auditor are the only third parties we are currently aware of that may not execute a waiver. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below: (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in certain instances. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.20 per share.
We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than ten business days to effectuate such distribution. Our founders have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that we are permitted to withdraw to pay such expenses.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of this offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any,
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earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.20. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.
Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period or if the stockholders seek to redeem their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our charter documents as described elsewhere herein. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our founders will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to founder shares. Additionally, any loans made by our officers, directors, sponsors or their affiliates for working capital needs will be forgiven and not repaid if we are unable to complete an initial business combination.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.20 per share.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after twenty-four months from the date of this prospectus, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions, including provisions regarding the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, cannot be amended without the approval of holders of at least 65% of our common stock. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would stop our public stockholders from redeeming or selling their shares to us in connection with a business combination or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our founders, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person. Our founders, executive officers and directors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any common stock held by them, and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
| • | we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote |
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| for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
| • | we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted at a stockholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination; |
| • | if our initial business combination is not consummated within 18 months from the closing of this offering, then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve the Company; |
| • | upon the consummation of this offering, $255,000,000, or $293,250,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account; |
| • | we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and |
| • | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the Series A common stock sold in this offering on any matter. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.
The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:
| • | our obligation to seek stockholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction; |
| • | our obligation to redeem shares of Series A common stock held by our public stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; |
| • | our outstanding warrants, and the potential future dilution they represent. |
Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately-held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.
If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.
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Facilities
We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5, New York, NY 10013. An affiliate of our sponsor provides this office space to us at no cost. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.
Human Capital/Employees
We are a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have not yet implemented any material human capital management objectives or human resources programs.
We currently have 4 executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements
We will register our units, Series 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 report will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.
We may be required to have our internal control procedures audited for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team.
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COMPARISON OF THIS OFFERING TO THOSE OF BLANK CHECK COMPANIES SUBJECT TO RULE 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Escrow of offering proceeds | $255,000,000 of the net offering proceeds (or $293,250,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised), which includes the $11,850,000 the net proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants (or $13,350,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised), will be deposited into a trust account in the United States in New York, New York, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | $217,125,000 of the net offering proceeds (or $249,693,750 if the over-allotment option is exercised would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
| Investment of net proceeds | $255,000,000 of the net offering proceeds (or $293,250,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised), held in trust will be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | ||
| Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by any taxes paid or payable and up to $100,000 payable for dissolution expenses. | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our consummation of a business combination. | ||
| Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | Our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses or assets that together | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination. | least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | |||
| Trading of securities issued | The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The public shares and public warrants may begin trading separately on the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus unless CF&Co informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering, such Form 8-K to be amended or supplemented with updated financial information in the event the over-allotment option is exercised or if CF&Co permits separate trading prior to the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus and we have issued a press release announcing when separate trading will begin. | No trading of the units or the underlying public shares or warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||
| Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | ||
| Election to remain an investor | We will either (1) give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Series A common stock in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we must provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of stockholders. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise their rights to redeem their shares for cash or to remain an investor in our company. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as we would have included in a proxy statement. Under the tender offer rules, a tender offer must remain open for 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to sell their shares to us in such a tender offer or to remain an investor in our company. | post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | |||
| Business combination deadline | Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any | If an acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| interest earned on the funds held in the trust account less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and net of interest that may be used by us to pay our franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | ||||
| Release of funds | Except for interest earned on the funds in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period; (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination in the required time period; (3) 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity. | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and the failure to effect our initial business combination within the allotted time. | ||
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Our current directors, executive officers and director nominees are listed below.
Directors, Director Nominees and Officers
| Name |
Age | Title | ||||
| Shahraab Ahmad |
45 | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors | ||||
| Anthony D. Eisenberg |
39 | Chief Strategy Officer and Director Nominee* | ||||
| Jason Chryssicas(4) |
37 | Chief Financial Officer and Director Nominee* | ||||
| Burt Jordan |
54 | President and Director Nominee* | ||||
| Joanna Lord(2)(3) |
39 | Director Nominee* | ||||
| Bryan Dove |
41 | Director Nominee* | ||||
| Iqbaljit Kahlon(1) |
35 | Director Nominee* | ||||
| Darren Stanwood(1)(2) |
36 | Director Nominee* | ||||
| Dominick J. Schiano(1)(2)(3) |
66 | Director Nominee* | ||||
| * | This individual will occupy the position of director on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. |
| (1) | Anticipated to become a member of the audit committee upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. |
| (2) | Anticipated to become a member of the compensation committee upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. |
| (3) | Anticipated to become a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. |
| (4) | Mr. Chryssicas is employed by Cantor, one of the underwriters, and one of its affiliates, as head of investor relations for both entities. He a member of our sponsor. |
Our directors, director nominees and officers are as follows:
Shahraab Ahmad has been our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since October 2021. Mr. Ahmad also serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACA I. Prior to this, he most recently served as the Chief Investment Officer for Decca Capital Ltd, a fund founded by Mr. Ahmad that invested across capital structures in the U.S. and Europe from April 2015 until December 2018. Prior to his tenure at Decca Capital Ltd, Mr. Ahmad served as a portfolio manager for Hutchin Hill Capital, LP from 2008 to 2013 and Sailfish Capital Partners, LLC from 2005 to 2008 and J.P. Morgan from 1999 to 2004, where he last co-headed the High Yield Credit trading group. At J.P. Morgan, Mr. Ahmad managed credit portfolios across the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Ahmad holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Wesleyan University and studied corporate finance at the London School of Economics. We believe Mr. Ahmad’s eight years of experience investing in private technology companies and 20 years of investment experience as an investor across capital structures and hedge fund manager make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Anthony D. Eisenberg has been our Chief Strategy Officer and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Eisenberg also serves as Chief Strategy Officer and a director of ACA I. Since 2013, Mr. Eisenberg has managed Tappan Street, a multi-strategy family office with expertise in environmental, social and corporate governance principles and private market investments. Since March 2020, Mr. Eisenberg has also served on the board of advisors of Komma, a mobility company targeting the urban mobility vehicle market. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Eisenberg served on the board of advisors of Michigan Income Principal-Protected Growth Fund, an impact investing fund in partnership with the State of Michigan and the US Department of Treasury and led the firm’s development activities. Mr. Eisenberg began his career in politics working in the Office of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Patton Boggs and the D.C. based research group Marwood Group, prior to his principal investing career, which began at the hedge fund Christofferson Robb & Company. Mr. Eisenberg holds an M.B.A. in Finance from
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Georgetown University—The McDonough School of Business, a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.B.A. in Finance and Political Science from the University of Miami. We believe Mr. Eisenberg’s experience in public policy and expertise in private market investments makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Jason Chryssicas has been our Chief Financial Officer since October 2021 and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Over the course of his career, Mr. Chryssicas has served in a variety of leadership positions within financial services and capital markets, including Investor Relations, Investment Banking, Corporate Development and Strategy. Mr. Chryssicas has served in various roles at Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners Inc. since 2013 including his current role as Head of Investor Relations at both firms. Prior to this, Mr. Chryssicas held positions at Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young. Mr. Chryssicas holds a B.A. in Accounting from Western Washington University. We believe Mr. Chryssicas’s experience in financial services, capital markets and investor relations makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors
Burt Jordan has been our president since November 2021 and will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Jordan also serves as President and a director of ACA I. Mr. Jordan was an executive at Ford Motor Company (“Ford”) from July 1999 until July 2020, where he most recently served as vice president of Global Purchasing Operations and Supply Chain Sustainability. At Ford, Mr. Jordan was responsible for Ford’s commodity-related and Indirect Purchasing and Supplier Sourcing program around the world for the past 10 years. In June 2020, Mr. Jordan was named the 2020 CPO of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, which recognized his impactful leadership within Ford and the larger supplier-diversity community. Mr. Jordan holds a B.B.A. in Business Administration from Alma College. We believe Mr. Jordan’s extensive experience as a senior executive of a major automobile corporation and his demonstrated leadership skills make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Joanna Lord will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Lord also serves as a director of ACA I. Since June 2021, Ms. Lord has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Reforge Inc. Prior to joining Reforge, Ms. Lord served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Skyscanner LTD from January 2019 until December 2020 and ClassPass from 2016 to 2019 and the Vice President of Marketing at Porch from 2014 to 2016. Ms. Lord received her M.A. in Communications from Pepperdine University and B.A. in Journalism/Communications from St. Michaels College. We believe Ms. Lord’s 15 years of marketing leadership experience in technology companies makes her well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Bryan Dove will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Dove also serves as a director of ACA I. Since April 2021, Mr. Dove has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CommerceHub. Additionally, since September 2020, Mr. Dove has served as the Chairperson of Travalyst. Prior to this, Mr. Dove was an executive at Skyscanner LTD from June 2015 until June 2020, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Dove was also a director at Skyscanner LTD from 2018 to 2020. Prior to joining Skyscanner, Mr. Dove held several senior leadership positions within the technology industry at Amazon (2014 – 2015), Microsoft (2009 – 2014), and Eclipsys Corporation (2004 – 2009). Bryan also served as a board director at a privately held artificial intelligence company specializing in the real estate and financial sectors (July 2020 – April 2021). We believe Mr. Dove’s experience as a CEO and senior executive leading and scaling high-growth companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Iqbaljit Kahlon will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Kahlon also serves as a director of ACA I. Since June 2014, Mr. Kahlon has served as the managing partner of Tomales Bay Capital, a global investment firm with a focus on innovative companies, and since August 2015, the executive chairman of Hive, an artificial intelligence company
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specializing in computer vision and deep learning. At Tomales Bay Capital, Mr. Kahlon invested in innovative and technology-based companies including SpaceX. Mr. Kahlon received his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. We believe Mr. Kahlon’s experience in investing in innovative and technology-based companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Darren Stanwood will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Since October 2015, Mr. Stanwood has served as the managing member of Fields Texas Ltd. Holdings LLC, a private investment and retail advisory firm focused on the global consumer and retail sectors. Mr. Stanwood received his B.S.B.A. in Marketing/Economics from the Suffolk University – Sawyer School of Management. We believe Mr. Stanwood’s experience in investing in the global consumer and retail industries makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Dominick J. Schiano will serve as a member of our Board of Directors on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Since July 2007, Mr. Schiano has served as the President and Co-Founding Partner of Evergreen. Evergreen provides advisory services and co-invests with private equity sponsors under exclusive contractual relationships and was previously engaged by The Gores Group where Mr. Schiano was responsible for sourcing investment opportunities, and providing strategic, operational and financial guidance with respect to portfolio company investments in the industrial sector. Evergreen has also previously been engaged by TowerBrook Capital Partners where Mr. Schiano was a member of the Management Advisory Board and by DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, the private equity arm of Credit Suisse where he served as Vice Chairman—Global Industrial Partners. Mr. Schiano has also served on numerous local government, private company, joint venture and public company boards, including STR Holdings Inc. (NYSE: STRI) where he served on the Audit and Special Transaction Committees and Material Sciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MASC) where he served on the Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees and led the Special Committee responsible for its sale in 2013. Prior to forming Evergreen, Mr. Schiano served as a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee of Questor Partners Funds. Previously, Mr. Schiano served in various senior executive roles at Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), TRW Inc, Wickes Companies Inc., and its predecessor, Gulf+Western Industries Inc. Mr. Schiano attended Long Island University, majoring in Finance, and has completed the University of Pennsylvania—Wharton School Management Development Program and the Northwestern University—Kellogg School Mergers and Acquisitions Program. We believe Mr. Schiano’s experience in providing investment advisory services and co-investing with private equity sponsors makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
The past performance of the members of our management team or ACA I or their affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management or any of their affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance. None of our officers or directors has had any experience with any blank check companies in the past.
Special Advisor
Apeiron Investment Group is the family office and merchant banking business of Christian Angermayer. Apeiron Investment Group provides strategic and operational support for a variety of investment initiatives and entrepreneurial pursuits. The firm invests across all phases of a company’s life cycle with an emphasis on early-stage opportunities. Apeiron has investment expertise in financial services, deep technology, life sciences, media & entertainment and real estate technology. Apeiron has several significant portfolio investments, including: ATAI Life Sciences AG, CRYPTOLOGY Asset Group PLC, Rejuveron Life Sciences AG, Presight Capital, Elevate Capital and Apeiron Advisory LTD, which serve specific mandates as part of Apeiron Investment Group’s broader strategy. Apeiron Investment Group also serves as a special advisor to ACA I.
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Number, Terms of Office and Election of Executive Officers and Directors
Board Composition
Our business and affairs are organized under the direction of our Board of Directors, which currently consists of one (1) member. Our Board of Directors approved an increase in the number of authorized directors to seven (7) members effective as the date the registration statement is effective. Shahraab Ahmad serves as Chairman of our Board of Directors. The primary responsibilities of our Board of Directors are to provide oversight, strategic guidance, counseling, and direction to our management. Our Board of Directors meets on a regular basis and additionally as required.
Nasdaq requires that a majority of our board must be composed of “independent directors,” which is defined generally as a person other than an executive officer or employee of the Company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of our 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, upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, Joanna Lord, Bryan Dove, Iqbaljit Kahlon, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano will qualify as our independent directors as defined under the Nasdaq rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present. Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Any affiliated transactions must be approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors.
In accordance with the terms of our amended and restated bylaws, which will be effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering, our Board of Directors will be divided into three classes, Class I, Class II, and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms.
Effective upon completion of this offering, our Board of Directors will be divided into the following classes:
| • | Class I, which will consist of Shahraab Ahmad, Burt Jordan and Joanna Lord, whose terms will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders to be held after the completion of this offering; |
| • | Class II, which will consist of Anthony D. Eisenberg, Bryan Dove and Iqbaljit Kahlon, whose terms will expire at our second annual meeting of stockholders to be held after the completion of this offering; and |
| • | Class III, which will consist of Jason Chryssicas, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano, whose terms will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders to be held after the completion of this offering. |
At each annual meeting of stockholders to be held after the initial classification, the successors to directors whose terms then expire will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following their election and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. This classification of our Board of Directors may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in our control or management. Our directors may be removed for cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
Role of our Board of Directors in Risk Oversight/Risk Committee
One of the key functions of our Board of Directors is informed oversight of our risk management process. Our Board of Directors does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through our Board of Directors as a whole, as well as through various standing
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committees of our Board of Directors that address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight. In particular, our Board of Directors is responsible for monitoring and assessing strategic risk exposure and our audit committee has the responsibility to consider and discuss our major financial risk exposures and the steps our management has taken to monitor and control these exposures, including guidelines and policies to govern the process by which risk assessment and management is undertaken. The audit committee also monitors compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Our compensation committee also assesses and monitors whether our compensation plans, policies, and programs comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
No compensation will be paid to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, 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 independent directors will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, executive officers, directors or our or their affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommenced, to the Board of Directors for determination, either by a 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 management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after the initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our Board of Directors will have three standing committees, an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Each of our audit committee, our compensation committee and our nominating and corporate governance committee will be composed solely of independent directors.
Our Board of Directors intend to adopt a charter for each of these committees, which complies with the applicable requirements of current Nasdaq rules. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they are applicable to us. Following the completion of this offering, copies of the charters for each committee will be available on the investor relations portion of our website.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our audit committee is expected to consist of Iqbaljit Kahlon, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano. Our Board of
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Directors has determined that each of the members expected to comprise our audit committee satisfies the independence requirements of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. Each member of our audit committee can read and understand fundamental financial statements in accordance with Nasdaq audit committee requirements. In arriving at this determination, our Board of Directors has examined each audit committee member’s scope of experience and the nature of their prior and/or current employment.
Dominick J. Schiano is expected to serve as the chair of our audit committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Schiano qualifies as an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of SEC regulations and meets the financial sophistication requirements of the Nasdaq listing rules. In making this determination, our board has considered Mr. Schiano’s formal education and previous experience in financial roles. Both our independent registered public accounting firm and management periodically meet privately with our audit committee.
The functions of this committee include, among other things:
| • | evaluating the performance, independence, and qualifications of our independent auditors and determining whether to retain our existing independent auditors or engage new independent auditors; |
| • | reviewing our financial reporting processes and disclosure controls; |
| • | reviewing and approving the engagement of our independent auditors to perform audit services and any permissible non-audit services; |
| • | reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal control policies and procedures, including the responsibilities, budget, staffing, and effectiveness of our internal audit function; |
| • | reviewing with the independent auditors the annual audit plan, including the scope of audit activities and all critical accounting policies and practices to be used by us; |
| • | obtaining and reviewing at least annually a report by our independent auditors describing the independent auditors’ internal quality control procedures and any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review; |
| • | monitoring the rotation of partners of our independent auditors on our engagement team as required by law; |
| • | prior to engagement of any independent auditor, and at least annually thereafter, reviewing relationships that may reasonably be thought to bear on their independence, and assessing and otherwise taking the appropriate action to oversee the independence of our independent auditor; |
| • | reviewing our annual and quarterly financial statements and reports, including the disclosures contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and discussing the statements and reports with our independent auditors and management; |
| • | reviewing with our independent auditors and management significant issues that arise regarding accounting principles and financial statement presentation and matters concerning the scope, adequacy, and effectiveness of our financial controls and critical accounting policies; |
| • | reviewing with management and our auditors any earnings announcements and other public announcements regarding material developments; |
| • | establishing procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints received by us regarding financial controls, accounting, auditing, or other matters; |
| • | preparing the report that the SEC requires in our annual proxy statement; |
| • | reviewing and providing oversight of any related person transactions in accordance with our related person transaction policy and reviewing and monitoring compliance with legal and regulatory responsibilities, including our code of business conduct and ethics; |
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| • | reviewing our major financial risk exposures, including the guidelines and policies to govern the process by which risk assessment and risk management is implemented; and |
| • | reviewing and evaluating on an annual basis the performance of the audit committee and the audit committee charter. |
We believe that the composition and functioning of our audit committee complies with all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all applicable SEC rules and regulations. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they become applicable to us.
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our compensation committee is expected to consist of Joanna Lord, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano. Joanna Lord is expected to serve as the chair of our compensation committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the individuals expected to comprise our compensation committee is a non-employee director, as defined in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, and satisfies the independence requirements of Nasdaq. The functions of this committee include, among other things:
| • | reviewing and approving the corporate objectives that pertain to the determination of executive compensation; |
| • | reviewing and approving the compensation and other terms of employment of our executive officers; |
| • | reviewing and approving performance goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our executive officers and assessing their performance against these goals and objectives; |
| • | making recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the adoption or amendment of equity and cash incentive plans and approving amendments to such plans to the extent authorized by our Board of Directors; |
| • | reviewing and making recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the type and amount of compensation to be paid or awarded to our non-employee board members; |
| • | reviewing and assessing the independence of compensation consultants, legal counsel, and other advisors as required by Section 10C of the Exchange Act; |
| • | administering our equity incentive plans; |
| • | reviewing and approving the terms of any employment agreements, severance arrangements, change in control protections, indemnification agreements, and any other material arrangements for our executive officers; |
| • | reviewing with management our disclosures under the caption “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” in our periodic reports or proxy statements to be filed with the SEC, to the extent such caption is included in any such report or proxy statement; |
| • | preparing an annual report on executive compensation that the SEC requires in our annual proxy statement; and |
| • | reviewing and evaluating on an annual basis the performance of the compensation committee and recommending such changes as deemed necessary with our Board of Directors. |
We believe that the composition and functioning of our compensation committee complies with all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they become applicable to us.
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our nominating and corporate governance committee is expected to consist of Darren Stanwood, and Dominick J. Schiano. Our board of directors has determined that each of the individuals expected to compromise our nominating and corporate governance committee satisfies the independence requirements of Nasdaq. Joanna Lord is expected to serve as the chair of our nominating and corporate governance committee. The functions of this committee include, among other things:
| • | identifying, reviewing, and making recommendations of candidates to serve on our Board of Directors; |
| • | evaluating the performance of our Board of Directors, committees of our Board of Directors, and individual directors and determining whether continued service on our board is appropriate; |
| • | evaluating nominations by stockholders of candidates for election to our Board of Directors; |
| • | evaluating the current size, composition, and organization of our Board of Directors and its committees and making recommendations to our Board of Directors for approvals; |
| • | developing a set of corporate governance policies and principles and recommending to our Board of Directors any changes to such policies and principles; |
| • | reviewing issues and developments related to corporate governance and identifying and bringing to the attention of our Board of Directors current and emerging corporate governance trends; and |
| • | reviewing periodically the nominating and corporate governance committee charter, structure, and membership requirements and recommending any proposed changes to our Board of Directors, including undertaking an annual review of its own performance. |
We believe that the composition and functioning of our nominating and corporate governance committee complies with all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they become applicable to us.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
We do not currently have a compensation committee but we expect that none of the members of our compensation committee, when established, will have ever been an executive officer or employee of ours. We also expect that none of our executive officers currently serve, or will have served during the last completed fiscal year, on the compensation committee or board of directors of any other entity that has one or more executive officers who would be serving as a member of our Board of Directors or compensation committee.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which will be effective upon completion of this offering, limits our directors’ liability to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL. The DGCL provides that directors of a corporation will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, except for liability:
| • | for any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit; |
| • | for any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
| • | for any unlawful payment of dividends or redemption of shares; or |
| • | for any breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders. |
If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of our directors shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.
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Delaware law and our amended and restated bylaws provide that we will, in certain situations, indemnify our directors and officers and may indemnify other employees and other agents, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any indemnified person is also entitled, subject to certain limitations, to advancement, direct payment, or reimbursement of reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding.
In addition, we have entered, and intend to continue to enter, into separate indemnification agreements with our directors and officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify our directors and officers for certain expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, and settlement amounts incurred by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of their services as one of our directors or officers or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.
We maintain a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy pursuant to which our directors and officers are insured against liability for actions taken in their capacities as directors and officers. We believe that these provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and these indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, or control persons, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Director Nominations
Prior to our initial business combination, the board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at an 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 should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the Board of Directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our Board of Directors.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for Employees, Executive Officers, and Directors
Prior to the consummation of this offering, our board of directors will have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or the Code of Conduct, applicable to all of our employees, executive officers, and directors. We will file a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Conflicts of Interest
Our management team is responsible for the management of our affairs. As described above and below, each of our officers and certain of our directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, including ACA I, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such
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entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. 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.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors 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, officers or directors 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. For example, each of Messrs. Ahmad, Eisenberg and Jordan are currently officers and directors of, and Messrs. Dove and Kahlon and Ms. Lord are each directors of, ACA I, and each owes fiduciary duties to ACA I. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. In particular, affiliates of our sponsor are currently sponsoring ACA I, another blank check company, ACA I. Any such companies, including ACA I, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| • | None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities. |
| • | In the course of their other business activities, our sponsor, officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. However, our officers and directors have agreed to present to us all suitable target business opportunities, subject to any fiduciary or contractual obligations. |
| • | Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our executive officers, directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account. |
| • | The founder shares beneficially owned by our founders will be released from lockup only if a business combination is successfully completed, and the private placement warrants, including the underlying shares, purchased by our founders and/or their designees will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our executive officers and directors will not receive liquidation distributions with respect to any of their founder shares or the private placement warrants. Furthermore, our founders and/or their designees have agreed that the founder shares, the private placement warrants and securities underlying the private placement warrants, will not be sold or transferred by them until after we have completed a business combination. For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect a business combination with. |
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In general, executive officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
| • | the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
| • | the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and |
| • | it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise when our board evaluates a particular business opportunity with respect to the above-listed criteria. We cannot assure you that any of the above-mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has contractually agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he or she ceases to be an officer or director, to present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any fiduciary or contractual obligations he or she might have. Accordingly, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our executive officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers, directors and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations.
| Individual |
Entity |
Entity’s Business |
Affiliation | |||
| Shahraab Ahmad | Orama Holdings (Cayman) Limited Decca Capital Limited Peer Capital Management Limited |
Investment Management Company Investment Management Company Investment Management Company |
Chief Investment Officer Chief Investment Officer and Director Director | |||
| Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | ||||
| Anthony D. Eisenberg | Tappan Street | Investing | Managing Member | |||
| Palo Santo | Investing | Partner | ||||
| Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Chief Strategy Officer and Director | ||||
| Jason Chryssicas | BGC Partners, Inc. | Global Brokerage & Fintech | Head of Investor Relations | |||
| Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. | Financial Services | Head of Investor Relations | ||||
| Burt Jordan | Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | President and Director | |||
| Joanna Lord | Reforge Inc. | Education | CMO | |||
| Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Director | ||||
| Bryan Dove | CommerceHub | Logistics | CEO | |||
| Travalyst | Travel | Chairman | ||||
| Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Director |
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| Individual |
Entity |
Entity’s Business |
Affiliation | |||
| Iqbaljit Kahlon | Tomales Bay Capital Hive AI Dora Technologies |
Investment Firm Software Company IT Software Company |
Managing Partner Executive Chairman Director | |||
| Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. | Special Purpose Acquisition Company | Director | ||||
| Darren Stanwood | Fields Texas Ltd. Holdings LLC | Investment Firm | Managing Member | |||
| Baker Computer Services Inc. | Computer Equipment Repair | Chairman | ||||
| Dominick J. Schiano | Evergreen Capital Partners LLC | Investment Advisory | President |
In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination.
If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our founders, as well as all of our executive officers, directors and director nominees, have agreed to vote any shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to their founder shares. If they purchase shares of Series A common stock as part of this offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in respect of such shares but have agreed not to redeem or sell such shares to us in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our sponsor, executive officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our Board of Directors who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our shares of Series A common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
| • | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock; |
| • | each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees; and |
| • | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the or any shares issuable upon exercise of warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
In October 25, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share. Prior to the initial investment in us of $25,000 by the sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 937,500 of the founder shares will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial stockholders have forfeited 937,500 founder shares simultaneously with the consummation of this offering and that there are 31,250,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.
| Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) |
% of Shares Beneficially Owned |
|||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) |
Before Offering |
After Offering(5) |
Before Offering |
After Offering |
||||||||||||
| Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC |
6,000,000 | 5,950,000 | 96 | % | 19.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Shahraab Ahmad(3) |
6,000,000 | 5,950,000 | 96 | % | 19.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Anthony D. Eisenberg(4) |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Jason Chryssicas(4) |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Burt Jordan(4) |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Joanna Lord(4) |
50,000 | 50,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| Bryan Dove(4) |
50,000 | 50,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| Iqbaljit Kahlon(4) |
50,000 | 50,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| Darren Stanwood(4) |
50,000 | 50,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| Dominick J. Schiano(4) |
50,000 | 50,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| All directors and officers as a group (9 persons) |
6,250,000 | 6,200,000 | 100.0 | % | 19.8 | % | ||||||||||
| * | Less than 1% |
| (1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5, New York, NY 10013. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Series B common stock. Such Series B common stock will automatically convert into Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.” |
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| (3) | Represents shares held by our sponsor. Shahraab Ahmad is the manager and the majority owner of our sponsor. Accordingly, Mr. Ahmad may be deemed to beneficially own all of the shares held by our sponsor. Mr. Ahmad disclaims beneficial ownership of any securities held by our sponsor except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
| (4) | This individual is a member of our sponsor, but does not have voting or investment power over the shares held by our sponsor. |
| (5) | Assumes the assignment of 50,000 founder shares from our sponsor to Apeiron Investment Group at the closing of this offering, as described below under “Underwriting—Founder Shares.” |
Immediately after this offering (without the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), our founders, executive officers and directors will beneficially own in the aggregate approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding common stock (assuming our founders do not purchase any public units), with our sponsor beneficially owning approximately 95% of such issued and outstanding common stock.
Because of this ownership block, our founders, together, and our sponsor acting alone, may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions.
To the extent the underwriters do not exercise the over-allotment option, up to an aggregate of 937,500 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture. Our founders will be required to forfeit only a number of founder shares necessary to maintain a 20% ownership interest in our shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering after giving effect to the offering and without giving effect to the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Our executive officers have interests in our sponsor and therefore indirect interests in the founder shares and private placement warrants.
Lock-Up Restrictions
Subject to certain limited exceptions, our sponsor, founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) if the last reported sale price of our Series A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (2) if we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, then all of such shares will be released from the lock-up. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
During the applicable lock-up period, the holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants or the securities underlying the private placement warrants, will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and members) participating in the private placement of the private placement warrants, (2) amongst our founders or to our officers, directors and employees, (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain
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pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the applicable securities were originally purchased or (9) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 9) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the insider letter. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares, the private placement warrants or the securities underlying the private placement warrants.
Registration Rights
Our founders, executive officers, directors and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the founder shares, the private placement warrants and the underlying securities and any securities issued upon conversion of working capital loans, pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the date of this prospectus. The holders of the private placement warrants (or the underlying securities) are entitled to demand that we register these securities at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights on registration statements filed after our consummation of a business combination.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
In October 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share. Up to 937,500 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our founders to the extent the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Series B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Lock-Up Restrictions
Subject to certain limited exceptions, our sponsor, founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) if the last reported sale price of our Series A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (2) if we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, then the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
Promissory Note
On October 25, 2021, we issued a promissory note to our sponsor. The note is in the aggregate principal amount of $250,000. The note contains a drawdown feature such that at any time prior to the consummation of this offering we may draw up to an aggregate of $250,000 on the note for general working capital expenses. The note is non-interest bearing and will mature on such date as is the earlier of the date on which we close this offering and April 30, 2022.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor will commit at the closing of this offering $1,750,000 to be provided to us to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. In addition, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our founders, executive officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. Up to $1,500,000 of such loan may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. 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.
The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private placement warrants and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the founders’ private placement warrants or warrants issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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Other
Other than the foregoing, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive the repayment of any loans from our sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares and private placement warrants, which is described under the heading “Principal Stockholders — Registration Rights.”
Pursuant to a letter agreement that we will enter into with our sponsor in connection with the closing of this offering, we will provide a right of first offer to our sponsor if, in connection with or prior to the closing of our initial Business Combination, we propose to raise additional capital by issuing any equity securities, or securities convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for equity securities (other than warrants in respect of working capital loans as described above or to any seller in such Business Combination).
Related Party Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the Board of Directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.
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Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors including (i) an entity that is either a portfolio company of, or has otherwise received a material financial investment from, any private equity fund or investment company (or an affiliate thereof) that is affiliated with any of the foregoing, (ii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently passive investors, (iii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently officers or directors, or (iv) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently invested through an investment vehicle controlled by them, unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, and the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
| • | Repayment of up to an aggregate of $250,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| • | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
| • | Repayment of loans, including the $1,750,000 loan commitment to be made at the closing of this offering by our sponsor for working capital, which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. |
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.
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We are a Delaware corporation and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the DGCL. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which will be adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 110,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value each, including 100,000,000 shares of Series A common stock and 10,000,000 shares of Series B common stock, as well as 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our capital stock as set out more particularly in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Public Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Series A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the shares of Company’s Series A common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. For example, if a warrant holder holds one-half of one warrant to purchase a share of Series A common stock, such warrant will not be exercisable. If a warrant holder holds two halfs of one warrant, such whole warrant will be exercisable for one share of Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The Series A common stock and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless CF&Co informs us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Series A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Series A common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no event will the Series A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days after the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
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Common Stock
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 7,187,500 shares of Series B common stock outstanding, all of which were held of record by our initial stockholders, so that our initial stockholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 937,500 of the founder shares will be forfeited by our initial stockholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised. Upon the closing of this offering, 31,250,000 of our shares of common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 937,500 founder shares by our initial stockholders) including:
| • | 25,000,000 shares of Series A common stock underlying units issued as part of this offering; and |
| • | 6,250,000 shares of Series B common stock held by our initial stockholders. |
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Series B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of our Series B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. This provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of our Series B common stock and holders of our Series A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Series A common stock, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of Series A common stock
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which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until 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.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to fund our working capital requirements (subject to an annual limit of $250,000) and/or to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 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 underwriters. Our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many special purpose acquisition companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a stockholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many special purpose acquisition companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of our initial business combination. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained.
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 redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or
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against our initial business combination. Our stockholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,425,001 or approximately 37.7%, of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no 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 fund our working capital requirements (subject to an annual limit of $250,000) (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 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 the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial stockholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial stockholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price 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 fund our working capital requirements (subject to an annual limit of $250,000) and/or to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Series B common stock and, except as described below, are identical to the shares of Series A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder
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shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, and (iii) the founder shares are automatically convertible into Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into shares of Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Series A common stock or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of shares of Series A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of shares of Series A common stock outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of shares of Series A common stock by public stockholders), including the total number of shares of Series 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 Series A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Series A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans, provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Series 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, and (B) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their Series A common stock for cash, securities or other property. Up to 937,500 founder shares will be forfeited by our initial stockholders depending on the exercise of the over-allotment option.
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Warrants
Public Stockholders’ Warrants
No warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the public warrant agreement) 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. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Series A common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Series A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Series A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a share of Series A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless the share of Series A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Series A common stock underlying such unit.
No public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such warrant shares. We have agreed 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 a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the public warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our shares of Series 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, 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, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
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Once the warrants become exercisable, we may call the warrants (excluding the private placement warrants) for redemption:
| • | in whole and not in part; |
| • | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| • | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and |
| • | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before we send to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Series A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Series A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Series A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Series A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Series A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Series A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, our sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrantholders would have been required to use had all warrantholders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Series A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
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If the number of outstanding shares of Series A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Series A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Series A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Series A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Series A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Series A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Series A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Series A common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Series A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Series A common stock) and (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Series A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Series A common stock, in determining the price payable for Series A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Series A common stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Series A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Series A common stock on account of such shares of Series A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Series A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Series A common stock 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 redeem 100% of our Series A common stock if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Series A common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of our Series A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Series A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Series A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Series A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of Series A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Series A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Series A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Series A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share of Series A 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 sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the
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consummation. of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) 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 greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Series A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Series A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another entity in which any person or group (as such terms are used in Section 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) acquires more than 50% if the voting power of the Company’s securities or conversion of us into another type of entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Series A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Series A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event (the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that (i) if the holders of the shares of Series A common stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the shares of Series A common stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election; or (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the shares of Series A common stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by us in connection with redemption rights held by our stockholders as provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or as a result of the redemption of the shares of Series A common stock by us if a proposed initial business combination is presented to our stockholders for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of our directors, of our issued and outstanding equity securities, and (for the avoidance of doubt) such tender offer results in a change of control of us, the holder of a warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such warrant holder had exercised the warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the shares of Series A common stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided in the warrant agreements, and, in each case, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Series A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Series A common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within 30 days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreements based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreements) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the
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warrants in order to determine and realize the option value component of the warrant. This formula is to compensate the warrant holder for the loss of the option value portion of the warrant due to the requirement that the warrant holder exercise the warrant within 30 days of the event. The Black-Scholes model is an accepted pricing model for estimating fair market value where no quoted market price for an instrument is available.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review copies of the warrant agreements, which will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreements provide that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreements to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreements set forth in this prospectus, or to correct any defective provision, but 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.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrantholders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Series A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Series A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Series A common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Series A common stock to be issued to the warrantholder.
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Lock-up Restrictions,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. Except as described below, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Series A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Series A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “sponsor fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the sponsor fair market value. The “sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Series A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open
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market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could sell the shares of Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement warrants (including the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of any of these warrants) until the date that is 30 days after the date we complete our initial business combination, except that, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Lock-up Restrictions” made to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor.
Preferred Stock
There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our Board of Directors. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our Board of Directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock which participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which votes as a class with the common stock on a business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect a business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on 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. In addition, our Board of Directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the representation by the founder shares of 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming no purchase of any public units in this offering). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our securities and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.
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Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company has agreed that it has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account, and has irrevocably waived any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account that it may have now or in the future. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied, or a claim will only be able to be pursued, solely against us and our assets outside the trust account and not against the any monies in the trust account or interest earned thereon.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “ACABU” commencing on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Series A common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ACAB” and “ACABW,” respectively.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of 65% of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
| • | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no 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 fund our working capital requirements (subject to an annual limit of $250,000) (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 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 law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the requirements of other applicable law; |
| • | Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 18 months from the closing of this offering; |
| • | Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our executive officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| • | If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents |
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| with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act. Whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above; |
| • | So long as we obtain and maintain a listing of our securities on Nasdaq, Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| • | If our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Series A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to fund our working capital requirements (subject to an annual limit of $250,000) and/or to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; and |
| • | We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Special meeting of stockholders
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our Board of Directors, by our Chief Executive Officer or by our Chairman.
Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations
Our bylaws will provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders, must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the open of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.
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Action by Written Consent
Subsequent to the consummation of the offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our common stockholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders other than with respect to our Series B common stock.
Classified Board of Directors
Our board of directors will initially be divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preferred stock, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Any vacancy on our Board of Directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our Board of Directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office. Prior to our initial business combination, the holders of our Series B Common Stock will have the exclusive right to vote on the election or removal of directors, and such provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be changed with the approval of holders of a majority of at least 90% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon.
Series B Common Stock Consent Right
For so long as any shares of Series B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Series B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our certificate of incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Series B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Series B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Series B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Series B common stock were present and voted.
Authorized but unissued shares
Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Exclusive Forum Selection
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (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, agent or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the 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 shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction over such action or proceeding, then
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state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware). Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe this forum 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. Further, if any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not purport to require suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act to be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or another court of the State of Delaware. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
We will be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers upon completion of this offering. This statute prevents certain Delaware corporations, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with:
| • | a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”); |
| • | an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or |
| • | an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. |
A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:
| • | our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction; |
| • | after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or |
| • | on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the initial business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors and officers will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will
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not be personally liable for monetary damages to us for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.
Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit indemnification. We will purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our directors and officers against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify the directors and officers.
These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions. We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced directors and officers.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
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SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Immediately after this offering we will have 31,250,000 (or 35,937,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of common stock outstanding. Of these shares, the 25,000,000 (or 28,750,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of Series A common stock sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the 6,250,000 founder shares (or 7,187,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted securities for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares and warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
| • | 1% of the total number of shares of our common stock then outstanding, which will equal 312,500 shares immediately after this offering (or 359,375 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or |
| • | the average weekly reported trading volume of shares of our common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| • | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| • | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| • | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
| • | at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our founders will be able to sell their founder shares and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
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Registration Rights
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on the date of this prospectus, our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees and their permitted transferees can demand that we register for resale the founder shares, the private placement warrants and the Series A common stock underlying such private placement warrants and any private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a discussion of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, shares of Series A common stock and warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because the components of a unit are separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Series A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Series A common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Series A common stock and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering.
This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and the different consequences that may apply if you are subject to special rules that apply to certain types of investors, including but not limited to:
| • | financial institutions or financial services entities; |
| • | broker-dealers; |
| • | governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
| • | regulated investment companies; |
| • | real estate investment trusts; |
| • | expatriates or former long-term residents of the U.S.; |
| • | persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares; |
| • | insurance companies; |
| • | dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities; |
| • | persons holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction; |
| • | U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
| • | partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; and |
| • | tax-exempt entities. |
If you are a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners will generally depend on the status of the partners and your activities.
This discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, and changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court
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decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion. You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.
Personal Holding Company Status
We could be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).
At least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income, depending on the date and size of our initial business combination. 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, more than 50% of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not be a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our Series A common stock and one-half of one warrant to acquire one share of our Series A common stock. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one share of Series A common stock and the one-half of one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of Series A common stock and the one-half of one warrant should be the stockholder’s tax basis in such share or warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of Series A common stock and one-half of one warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Series A common stock and the one-half of one warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of shares of Series A common stock and warrants comprising units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the shares of Series A common stock and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit
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(including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, shares of Series A common stock or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| • | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| • | a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
| • | an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
| • | a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person. |
Taxation of Distributions. If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. holders of shares of our Series A common stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Series A common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Series A common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants” below.
Dividends we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder may constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the maximum tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Series A common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants. Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Series A common stock or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Series A common stock or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Series A common stock or warrants. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Series A common stock or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Series A common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this
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purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Series A common stock is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder is an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Series A common stock or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Series A common stock or the warrants based upon the then fair market values of the Series A common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Series A common stock or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Series A common stock or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Series A common stock or one-half of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for Series A common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Series A common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.
Redemption of Series A Common Stock. In the event that a U.S. holder’s Series A common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s Series A common stock in an open market transaction, the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Series A common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Series A common stock generally will be treated as a sale of the Series A common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any stock the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Series A common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Series A common stock must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares of our stock. The redemption of the Series A common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. holder’s
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conversion results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Series A common stock will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss on the acquisition of common stock upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the share of our Series A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Series A common stock received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the Series A common stock received would equal the holder’s basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a gain realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Series A common stock would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Series A common stock would include the holding period of the warrants exercised therefor.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered warrants equal to the number of shares of Series A common stock having a value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the Series A common stock received in respect of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Series A common stock received would equal the sum of the fair market value of the Series A common stock received in respect of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Series A common stock would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Series A common stock received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
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The U.S. federal income tax consequences of an exercise of warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.01 as described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants” are unclear. In the case of a cashless exercise, the exercise may be treated either as if we redeemed such warrant for shares of Series A common stock or as an exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise of a warrant for shares of Series A common stock is treated as a redemption, then such redemption generally should be treated as a tax deferred “recapitalization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which case a U.S. holder should not recognize any gain or loss on such redemption, and accordingly, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the shares of Series A common stock received should equal the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrant and the holding period of the shares of Series A common stock should include the holding period of the warrant. Alternatively, if the cashless exercise of a warrant is treated as such, the U.S. federal income tax consequences generally should be as described above in the second and third paragraphs under the heading “—U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” In the case of an exercise of a warrant for cash, the U.S. federal income tax treatment generally should be as described above in the first paragraph under the heading “—U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” Due to the lack of clarity under current law regarding the treatment described in this paragraph, there can be no assurance as to which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant as described above.
If we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “—U.S. Holders—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions. The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrantholders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our common stock, in each case which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as described under “U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Series A common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
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Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, Series A common stock or warrants who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| • | a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the U.S. subject to U.S. tax as expatriates); |
| • | a foreign corporation or |
| • | an estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder; |
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.
Taxation of Distributions. In general, any distributions we make to a Non-U.S. holder of shares of our Series A common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E). Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Series A common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the Series A common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
The withholding tax does not apply to dividends paid to a Non-U.S. holder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. resident, subject to an applicable income tax treaty providing otherwise. A Non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described below in “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants.”
Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants. A Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Series A common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination
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within 18 months from the closing of this offering, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:
| • | the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder); or |
| • | we are or have been a “U.S. real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. holder held our Series A common stock, and, in the case where shares of our Series A common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Series A common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. holder’s holding period for the shares of our Series A common stock. There can be no assurance that our Series A common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose. |
Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower treaty rate).
If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Series A common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Series A common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a U.S. real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a U.S. real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “U.S. real property interests” equals or exceeds 50 percent of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Redemption of Series A Common Stock. The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s Series A common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Common Stock” generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s Series A common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders—Redemption of Series A Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. holders—Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Series A Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Series A common stock and warrants. A Non-U.S. holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
FATCA Withholding Taxes. Provisions commonly referred to as “FATCA” impose withholding of 30% on payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) on our Series A common stock or warrants, to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and
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certain other Non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied by, or an exemption applies to, the payee (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes, and a Non-U.S. holder might be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return to claim such refunds or credits. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the effects of FATCA on their investment in our securities.
Thirty percent withholding under FATCA was scheduled to apply to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of property that produces U.S.-source interest or dividends beginning on January 1, 2019, but on December 13, 2018, the IRS released proposed regulations that, if finalized in their proposed form, would eliminate the obligation to withhold on gross proceeds. Such proposed regulations also delayed withholding on certain other payments received from other foreign financial institutions that are allocable, as provided for under final Treasury Regulations, to payments of U.S.-source dividends, and other fixed or determinable annual or periodic income. Although these proposed Treasury Regulations are not final, taxpayers generally may rely on them until final Treasury Regulations are issued.
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We are offering the units described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is acting as sole book-running manager of this offering. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, each of the underwriters has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, the number of units listed next to its name in the following table.
| Underwriter |
Number of Units | |||
| Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. |
||||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
25,000,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters must buy all of the units if they buy any of them. However, the underwriters are not required to purchase the units covered by the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units as described below.
Our public units are offered hereby subject to a number of conditions, including:
| • | receipt and acceptance of such units by the underwriters; and |
| • | the underwriters’ right to reject orders in whole or in part. |
We have been advised by the underwriters that they intend to make a market in our public units but that they are not obligated to do so and may discontinue making a market at any time without notice.
Option to Purchase Additional Units
We have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to an aggregate of 3,750,000 additional units. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will each purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.
Underwriting Discount
We have been advised by the underwriters that they propose to offer the units to the public at the initial offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The underwriters may allow dealers concessions not in excess of $0.12 per unit and the dealers may re-allow a concession not in excess of $0.12 per unit to other dealers. After the initial offering of the units, the underwriters may change the offering price and other selling terms. The offering of the units by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part. Sales of any units outside the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters.
The following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discount we will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional units.
| Per Unit(1) |
Total(1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Without Over- allotment |
With Over- allotment |
Without Over- allotment |
With Over- allotment |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by us |
$ | 0.55 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 13,750,000 | $ | 15,812,500 | ||||||||||||||||
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| (1) | $0.20 per unit sold in the offering, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.35 per unit sold in the offering, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or up to $10,062,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States and released to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. for its own account only upon the completion of an initial business combination. |
The amount of the fees set forth above to be received by the underwriters shall be reduced by the payments made to Farvahar Capital (“Farvahar”) described below.
We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, not including the underwriting discount, will be approximately $750,000. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain of their out-of-pocket costs for this offering up to a maximum allowance of $50,000, including legal fees related to the review by FINRA (up to $20,000), and the expenses of background checks of our principals up to a maximum of $5,500 per person.
No Sales of Similar Securities
Pursuant to a letter agreement, we, our sponsor, our executive officers and directors, and our founders will enter into lock-up agreements with the underwriters. Under the lock-up agreements, subject to certain exceptions, we and each of these persons will agree that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written approval of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or hedge our units, rights, warrants, shares of Series A common stock or any other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of our Series A common stock, subject to certain exceptions. These restrictions will be in effect for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus.
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co may, at any time and in its sole discretion, release some or all the securities subject to this lock-up. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co will consider, among other factors, the holder’s reasons for requesting the release, the number of securities for which the release is being requested and market conditions at the time. If the restrictions under the lock-up are waived, our units, warrants and shares of Series A common stock may become available for resale into the market, subject to applicable law, which could reduce the market price of our securities.
Our sponsor, founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until one year after the completion of the Company’s initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Stockholders”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) if the last reported sale price of our Series A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (2) if we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, then then the shares will be released from these restrictions on transfer. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any shares.
The private placement warrants (including the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders—Lock-up Restrictions,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
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Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we have agreed to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
Nasdaq Listing
We intend to apply for listing of our units on Nasdaq under the symbol “ACABU” and, once the units begin separate trading, we expect our Series A common stock and warrants to be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ACAB” and “ACABW,” respectively.
Expression of Interest
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. has informed us that it, its affiliates or certain accounts over which it or its affiliates have discretionary authority have expressed an interest in purchasing up to 7.5% of the units to be sold in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase and are simply expressions of intent, these entities may determine to purchase fewer or no units at all in the offering or may purchase more units than they indicate an interest in purchasing (although all such entities combined have indicated that they do not intend to purchase more than an aggregate of 9.99% of the units offered in this offering). In addition, Cantor may allocate fewer or no units offered in this offering to any of these entities. The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as they will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. If any such entity purchases any units in this offering or otherwise in the open market, it has no obligation to (i) vote the underlying shares in favor of any business combination, (ii) refrain from exercising any redemption rights with respect to any shares underlying the units offered in this offering or (iii) hold any such units or underlying shares beyond the consummation of an initial business combination, if any. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. Cantor’s affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor.
Stabilization and Other Transactions
The underwriters pursuant to Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the units at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.
“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units in this offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising the overallotment option or purchasing our units in the open market or from market participants. In determining the source of units to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the overallotment option.
“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional units. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.
A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of units on behalf of the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the units. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of units on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering.
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Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriters to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the units originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.
Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our units. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, may end any of these activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on Nasdaq in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
Market Making
The underwriters have advised us that, following the completion of this offering, they currently intend to make a market in the units as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and the underwriters may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the units, that you will be able to sell any of the units held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.
Affiliations
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and their affiliates may from time to time in the future engage with us and perform services for us or in the ordinary course of their business for which they will receive customary fees and expenses. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of us. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of these securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in these securities and instruments.
Except as described above, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Advisors
Farvahar is acting as an advisor to us in connection with this offering. Farvahar is not acting as an underwriter in connection with this offering, and accordingly, Farvahar is neither purchasing units nor offering units to the public in connection with this offering, and are not otherwise participating in the offering as defined under FINRA Rule 5110.
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Apeiron Investment Group is acting as an advisor to us in connection with the offering. We agreed with Apeiron that it shall receive 50,000 shares of our Series B common stock out of our sponsor’s founder shares at the closing of this initial public offering as consideration for their provision of advisory services to us in connection with identifying one or more businesses with which we may effectuate our initial business combination with. Apeiron is a member of our sponsor, but does not have voting or investment power over the shares held by our sponsor.
Relationships
Jason Chryssicas, our Chief Financial Officer, is employed by Cantor, one of the underwriters, and one of its affiliates, as head of investor relations for both entities. Mr. Chryssicas previously served in various roles, including investment banking and corporate development, for Cantor and its affiliates. He is a member of our sponsor, but does not have voting or investment power over the shares held by our sponsor.
Electronic Distribution
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites or through other online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of units for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.
Selling Restrictions
Canada
This prospectus constitutes an “exempt offering document” as defined in and for the purposes of applicable Canadian securities laws. No prospectus has been filed with any securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada in connection with the offer and sale of the securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon this prospectus or on the merits of the securities and any representation to the contrary is an offence.
Canadian investors are advised that this prospectus has been prepared in reliance on section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33-105”). Pursuant to section 3A.3 of NI 33-105, this prospectus is exempt from the requirement that the issuer and the underwriter(s) provide investors with certain conflicts of interest disclosure pertaining to “connected issuer” and/or “related issuer” relationships that may exist between the issuer and the underwriter(s) as would otherwise be required pursuant to subsection 2.1(1) of NI 33-105.
Resale Restrictions
The offer and sale of the securities in Canada is being made on a private placement basis only and is exempt from the requirement that the issuer prepares and files a prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws. Any resale of the securities acquired by a Canadian investor in this offering must be made in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, pursuant to a statutory exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt from the prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority. These resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to resales of the securities outside of Canada.
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Representations of Purchasers
Each Canadian investor who purchases the securities will be deemed to have represented to the issuer and the underwriter(s) that the investor (i) is purchasing the securities as principal, or is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and not with a view to resale or redistribution; (ii) is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (“NI 45-106”) or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario); and (iii) is a “permitted client” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Any discussion of taxation and related matters contained in this prospectus does not purport to be a comprehensive description of all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to a Canadian investor when deciding to purchase the securities and, in particular, does not address any Canadian tax considerations. No representation or warranty is hereby made as to the tax consequences to a resident, or deemed resident, of Canada of an investment in the securities or with respect to the eligibility of the securities for investment by such investor under relevant Canadian federal and provincial legislation and regulations.
Rights of Action for Damages or Rescission
Securities legislation in certain of the Canadian jurisdictions provides certain purchasers of securities pursuant to an offering memorandum (such as this prospectus), including where the distribution involves an “eligible foreign security” as such term is defined in Ontario Securities Commission Rule 45-501 Ontario Prospectus and Registration Exemptions and in Multilateral Instrument 45-107 Listing Representation and Statutory Rights of Action Disclosure Exemptions, as applicable, with a remedy for damages or rescission, or both, in addition to any other rights they may have at law, where the offering memorandum, or other offering document that constitutes an offering memorandum, and any amendment thereto, contains a “misrepresentation” as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. These remedies, or notice with respect to these remedies, must be exercised or delivered, as the case may be, by the purchaser within the time limits prescribed under, and are subject to limitations and defences under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. In addition, these remedies are in addition to and without derogation from any other right or remedy available at law to the investor.
Language of Documents
Upon receipt of this document, each Canadian investor hereby confirms that it has expressly requested that all documents evidencing or relating in any way to the sale of the securities described herein (including for greater certainty any purchase confirmation or any notice) be drawn up in the English language only. Par la réception de ce document, chaque investisseur Canadien confirme par les présentes qu’il a expressément exigé que tous les documents faisant foi ou se rapportant de quelque manière que ce soit à la vente des valeurs mobilières décrites aux présentes (incluant, pour plus de certitude, toute confirmation d’achat ou tout avis) soient rédigés en anglais seulement.
Australia
This document does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Corporations Act”) of Australia. This document has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this document in Australia:
You confirm and warrant that you are either:
| • | a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act; |
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| • | a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made; or |
| • | a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act. |
To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this document is void and incapable of acceptance.
You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the shares issued to you pursuant to this document for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.
European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area (each a “Member State”), no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the securities may be offered to the public in that Member State at any time:
(i) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation;
(ii) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(iii) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in a Member State who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a Member State to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase, or subscribe for, any securities and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
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In Member States, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation (“Qualified Investors”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in any Member State by persons who are not Qualified Investors. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in any Member State only to Qualified Investors and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Hong Kong
No securities have been, may be or will be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the “SFO”) and any rules made thereunder; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding UP and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the “C(WUMP)O”), or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the C(WUMP)O. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or will be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.
This document has not been and will not be registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this document may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this document and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.
Japan
The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended) (the “FIEA”), and the Initial Purchaser will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means, unless otherwise provided herein, any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEA and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.
Singapore
This document has not been and will not be lodged or registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this document and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or the invitation for subscription or purchase of the securities may not be issued, circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person as defined under Section 275(2) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA and where (where applicable) Regulation 3 of the Securities and Futures (Classes of Investors) Regulations 2018, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of any other applicable provision of the SFA. In the event that you are not an investor falling within any of the categories set out above, please return this document immediately. You may not forward or circulate this document to any other person in Singapore.
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No offer is made to you with a view to the securities being subsequently offered for sale to any other party. There are on-sale restrictions that may be applicable to investors who acquire securities. As such, investors are advised to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the SFA relating to resale restrictions and comply accordingly.
Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
| • | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor as defined under Section 4A of the SFA) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
| • | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities under Section 275 of the SFA except: |
| • | to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; |
| • | where no consideration is given for the transfer; |
| • | where the transfer is by operation of law; |
| • | as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or |
| • | as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore. |
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the issuer or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, or FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In the State of Israel, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the shares is directed only at, investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case purchasing for their own account
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or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors will be required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom, no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, except that the securities may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
(i) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation;
(ii) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(iii) in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the “FSMA”),
provided that no such offer of the securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in the United Kingdom who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in the United Kingdom to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation who are also: (i) persons who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services
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and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”); (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2) of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in the United Kingdom only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in connection with the issue or sale of the securities in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply. All applicable provisions of the FSMA and the Order must be complied with in respect of anything done by any person in relation to the securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
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The validity of the securities offered in this prospectus is being passed upon for us Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, New York, New York. Certain attorneys of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP have an economic interest in our sponsor representing less than 0.1% of its capitalization. Certain legal matters will be passed upon on behalf of the underwriters by Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York.
The financial statements of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II as of October 25, 2021 and for the period from May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 2021 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
| PAGE | ||||
| Audited Financial Statements of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II: |
||||
| F-2 | ||||
| F-3 | ||||
| Statement of Operations for the period from May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 2021 |
F-4 | |||
| F-5 | ||||
| Statement of Cash Flows for the period from May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 2021 |
F-6 | |||
| F-7 | ||||
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Table of Contents
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholder and Board of Directors of
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) as of October 25, 2021, and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 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 October 25, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 2021 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph — Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of October 25, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans with regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might become necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “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.
Tampa, FL
December 2, 2021
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
OCTOBER 25, 2021
| ASSETS |
||||
| Deferred offering costs |
$ | 175,634 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Assets |
$ | 175,634 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY |
||||
| Current liabilities |
||||
| Accrued expenses |
$ | 1,000 | ||
| Accrued offering costs |
120,634 | |||
| Promissory note — related party |
30,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Liabilities |
151,634 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Commitments (Note 6) |
||||
| Stockholder’s Equity |
||||
| Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding |
— | |||
| Series A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding |
— | |||
| Series B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,00,000 shares authorized; 7,187,500 shares issued and outstanding(1) |
719 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital |
24,281 | |||
| Accumulated deficit |
(1,000 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Stockholder’s Equity |
24,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity |
$ | 175,634 | ||
|
|
|
| (1) | Includes up to 937,500 shares of Series B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 20, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH OCTOBER 25, 2021
| Formation costs |
$ | 1,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Net loss |
$ | (1,000 | ) | |
|
|
|
|||
| Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1) |
6,250,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
$ | (0.00 | ) | |
|
|
|
| (1) | Excludes up to 937,500 shares of Series B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 20, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH OCTOBER 25, 2021
| Series B Common Stock(1) |
Additional Paid-in Capital |
Accumulated Deficit |
Stockholder’s Equity |
|||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance — May 20, 2021 (inception) |
— | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Issuance of Series B common stock to Sponsor(1) |
7,187,500 | 719 | 24,281 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss |
— | — | — | (1,000 | ) | (1,000 | ) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| Balance — October 25, 2021 |
7,187,500 | $ | 719 | $ | 24,281 | $ | (1,000 | ) | $ | 24,000 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| (1) | Includes up to 937,500 shares of Series B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 20, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH OCTOBER 25, 2021
| Cash flows from Operating Activities: |
||||
| Net loss |
$ | (1,000 | ) | |
| Adjustment to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||
| Accrued expenses |
1,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Net cash used in operating activities |
— | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: |
||||
| Proceeds from promissory note — related party |
30,000 | |||
| Payment of offering costs |
(30,000 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Net cash provided by financing activities |
— | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Net Change in Cash |
— | |||
| Cash — Beginning |
— | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Cash — Ending |
$ | — | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities: |
||||
| Payment of deferred offering costs by the Sponsor in exchange for the issuance of Series B common stock |
$ | 25,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs |
$ | 120,634 | ||
|
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS, AND GOING CONCERN
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on May 20, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).
The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of October 25, 2021, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity for the period May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed initial public offering of 25,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Series A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) which is discussed in Note 3 and the sale of 7,900,000 warrants (or 8,900,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant that will close in a private placement to Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC (the “Sponsor”), simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (see Note 4).
While the Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the cash held outside of the Trust Account substantially all of the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, which are placed in the Trust Account are intended to be applied generally toward completing a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing a definitive agreement to enter a Business Combination. 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 of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.20 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (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, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s stockholders, as described below.
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.20 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the holders of the Company’s shares prior to the Proposed Public Offering (the “Initial Stockholders”) have Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or don’t vote at all.
Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Initial Stockholders have agreed (a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination, (b) to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering and (c) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s Initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
The Company will have until 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Initial Stockholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Initial Stockholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.20 per Public Share or (2) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Going Concern Consideration
At October 25, 2021, the Company had no cash and a working capital deficit of $151,634, excluding deferred offering costs of $175,634. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating 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, close of the Proposed Public Offering, 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 are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company, which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires 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 expenses during the reporting period.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ 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 did not have any cash and cash equivalents as of October 25, 2021.
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 Corporation coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Deferred Offering Costs
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 Proposed Public Offering. Offering costs are allocated based on the relative value of the Public and Private Warrants to the proceeds received from the Public Shares sold upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares will be charged to temporary equity and offering costs allocated to the Public and Private Warrants will be charged to stockholder’s equity. Should the Proposed Public Offering proved to be unsuccessful, these offering costs as well as other costs to be incurred will be charged to operations.
Income Taxes
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of October 25, 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 is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 2021. The Company’s deferred tax assets were deemed to be de minimis as of October 25, 2021.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Net Loss Per Common Share
Net loss per share of common stock is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 937,500 shares of Series B common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter (see Notes 5 and 7). At October 25, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and 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 loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial statements to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at fair value on the grant date and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statement 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 assets and liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instruments could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. The Company will account for the warrants issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering and the private placement as equity under the guidance at FASB ASC Topic 815. There are no warrants outstanding as of October 25, 2021.
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis. 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 the impact of adopting ASU 2020-06 on its financial statements.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 3. PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 25,000,000 Units (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriter’s overallotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of the Company’s Series A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of Series A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 7).
NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
The Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 7,900,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 8,900,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $11,850,000 (or $13,350,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustments (see Note 7). A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On October 25, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 7,187,500 shares of Series B common stock (the “Founder Shares”). The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 937,500 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor will collectively own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Initial Stockholders do not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).
The Sponsor, Founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until one year after the completion of a Business Combination that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their Series A common stock for cash, securities, or other property; (except with respect to permitted transferees). Notwithstanding the foregoing, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Series A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, then such securities will be released from these restrictions. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the Founders with respect to any Founder Shares.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Promissory Note — Related Party
On October 25, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $250,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and is payable on the earlier of (i) April 30, 2022, or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of October 25, 2021, the Company had $30,000 outstanding under the Promissory Note.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor will commit at the time of closing of the Proposed Public Offering to advance the Company up to $1,750,000 to fund the expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after the Proposed Public Offering and prior to the Initial Business Combination. In addition, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (collectively and including the $1,750,000 future commitment, the “Working Capital Loans”). If the Company consummated an Initial Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans. 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. The final terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into additional warrants of the post-Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. Prior to the completion of the Initial Business Combination, the Company does not expect to seek loans from parties other than the Sponsor or its affiliates as the Company does 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 the Trust Account. There are no Working Capital Loans outstanding as of October 25, 2021.
NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, and any Private Placement Warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans (and any Series A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and conversion of Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to shares of our Series A common stock) at any time after the consummation of Initial Business Combination. The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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 a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement will provide that the Company will not be required to effect or permit
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidated damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the Company’s securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the Proposed Public Offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or $10,062,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The deferred fee will become payable to the 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.
NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of $0.0001 par value preferred stock. At October 25, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Series A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of Series A, $0.0001 par value common stock. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At October 25, 2021, there were no shares of Series A common stock issued or outstanding.
Series B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of Series B, $0.0001 par value common stock. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At October 25, 2021, there were 7,187,500 shares of Series B common stock issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 937,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that the Sponsor will own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming Initial Stockholders do not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).
Holders of Series A common stock and Series B common stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, except as required by law.
The shares of Series B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Series A common stock concurrently or immediately following the consummation of Initial Business Combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Series A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in connection with the Initial Business Combination, the number of shares of Series A common stock issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of shares of Series A common stock outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemption of shares of Series A common stock by Public Stockholders), including the total number of shares of Series A common stock, 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 Series A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Series A common stock issued, or to be
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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 Founder Shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the consummation of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, provided in each case that there is an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or the Company permits holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the public warrant agreement) 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. The Public Warrants will expire five years from the consummation of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Series A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue shares of Series A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless Series A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance, under the Securities Act, of the Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of a Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 60th business day following the closing of a Business Combination, holders of the warrants will have the right, during the period beginning on the 61st business day after the closing of a Business Combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the SEC, and during any other period when the company fails to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.” Notwithstanding the above, if the shares of Series 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 elect, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but 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.
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
| • | in whole and not in part; |
| • | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| • | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption given after the warrants become exercisable to each warrant holder; and |
| • | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Series A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of shares of Series A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of Series A common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Series A common stock or equity-linked securities, for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Series 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 Sponsor or its affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the completion of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Series A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company completes a Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants (including the Series A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of an Initial Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
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ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to December 2, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
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25,000,000 units
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
Until , 20 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.
Sole Book-Running Manager
Cantor
, 20
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| Item 13. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution. |
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement will be as follows:
| SEC Registration Fees |
$ | 26,651 | ||
| FINRA Filing Fees |
$ | 43,625 | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
$ | 60,000 | ||
| Printing and engraving expenses |
$ | 40,000 | ||
| Nasdaq listing expenses |
$ | 75,000 | ||
| Legal fees and expenses |
$ | 375,000 | ||
| Miscellaneous(1) |
$ | 129,724 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
$ | 750,000 | ||
|
|
|
| (1) | This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by the Company in connection with the offering over and above those specifically listed above, including transfer agent and trustee fees. |
| Item 14. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”). Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.
Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.
| (a) | A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful. |
| (b) | A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation |
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| and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper. |
| (c) | To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith. |
| (d) | Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders. |
| (e) | Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate. |
| (f) | The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred. |
| (g) | A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section. |
| (h) | For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was |
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| a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued. |
| (i) | For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section. |
| (j) | The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. |
| (k) | The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees). |
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.
If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the
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adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our Board of Directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.
The right to indemnification which will be conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.
The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our amended and restated bylaws, which we intend to adopt immediately prior to the closing of this offering, include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those which will be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
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Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our Board of Directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.
We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
| Item 15. | Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities. |
In October 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share, in a private placement. Such securities were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 937,500 of these shares will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised.
Shahraab Ahmad, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, is a member of our sponsor. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D. Each of the equity holders in our sponsor is an accredited investor under Rule 501 of Regulation D. The sole business of our sponsor is to act as the Company’s sponsor in connection with this offering. The limited liability company agreement of our sponsor provides that its membership interests may only be transferred to our officers or directors or other persons affiliated with our sponsor, or in connection with estate planning transfers.
Each of our founders and our executive officers and director nominees is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
| Item 16. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules. |
(a) The following exhibits are filed as part of this registration statement:
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 1.1* | Form of Underwriting Agreement | |
| 3.1 | Certificate of Incorporation | |
| 3.2* | Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation | |
| 3.3* | Amended and Restated Bylaws | |
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| 4.1* | Specimen Unit Certificate | |
| 4.2* | Specimen Series A Common Stock Certificate | |
| 4.3 | Specimen Public Warrant Certificate (included in Exhibit 4.4) | |
| 4.4 | Form of Public Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant | |
| 4.5 | Specimen Private Warrant Certificate (included in Exhibit 4.6) | |
| 4.6 | Form of Private Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP | |
| 10.1* | Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant, and each of the sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees of the Registrant | |
| 10.2* | Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant | |
| 10.3 | Securities Subscription Agreement, dated October 25, 2021, between the Registrant and sponsor | |
| 10.4* | Form of Private Placement Warrant Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and sponsor | |
| 10.5* | Form of Registration Rights Agreement between the Registrant and securityholders | |
| 10.6* | Form of Indemnity Agreement | |
| 10.7 | Promissory Note issued in favor of sponsor, dated October 25, 2021 | |
| 10.8* | Form of Expense Advancement Agreement between the Registrant and sponsor. | |
| 14* | Form of Code of Business Conduct and Ethics | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Marcum LLP | |
| 23.2 | Consent of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (to be included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney | |
| 99.1* | Form of Audit Committee Charter | |
| 99.2* | Form of Compensation Committee Charter | |
| 99.3 | Consent of Joanna Lord | |
| 99.4 | Consent of Bryan Dove | |
| 99.5 | Consent of Iqbaljit Kahlon | |
| 99.6 | Consent of Darren Stanwood | |
| 99.7 | Consent of Dominick J. Schiano | |
| * | To be filed by amendment. |
| Item 17. | Undertakings. |
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
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(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. |
| (2) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (5) | For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement |
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| that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
| (6) | For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
II-8
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 2nd day of December, 2021.
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II | ||
| By: | /s/ Shahraab Ahmad | |
| Name: Shahraab Ahmad | ||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Shahraab Ahmad and Jason Chryssicas his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including pre- and post-effective amendments to this registration statement, any subsequent registration statement for the same offering which may be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and pre- or post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name |
Position |
Date | ||
| /s/ Shahraab Ahmad Shahraab Ahmad |
Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal executive officer) | December 2, 2021 | ||
| /s/ Jason Chryssicas Jason Chryssicas |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal financial and accounting officer) | December 2, 2021 | ||
II-9
Exhibit 3.1
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
FIRST. The name of this corporation is Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II (the “Corporation”).
SECOND. Its registered office and place of business in the State of Delaware is to be located at Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, in the City of Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801. The Registered Agent at such address is The Corporation Trust Company.
THIRD. The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the Delaware General Corporation Law (“the “DGCL”).
FOURTH. The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock, each with a par value of $0.0001 per share, which the Corporation is authorized to issue is 111,000,000, consisting of (a) 110,000,000 shares of common stock (the “Common Stock”), including (i) 100,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock (the “Class A Common Stock”) and (ii) 10,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock (the “Class B Common Stock”), and (b) 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock (the “Preferred Stock”).
A. Preferred Stock. The Board of Directors is expressly granted authority to issue shares of the Preferred Stock, in one or more series, and to fix for each such series such voting powers, full or limited, and such designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof as shall be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors providing for the issue of such series (a “Preferred Stock Designation”) and as may be permitted by the DGCL. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of the capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, without a separate vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to any Preferred Stock Designation.
B. Common Stock.
(i) Voting. The holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders on which the holders of shares of Common Stock are entitled to vote. Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate of Incorporation (including any Preferred Stock Designation), at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders the holders of the Class A Common Stock and holders of the Class B Common Stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors and on all other matters properly submitted to a vote of the stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate of Incorporation (including a Preferred Stock Designation), holders of shares of any series of Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Certificate of Incorporation (including any amendment to any Preferred Stock Designation) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock or other series of Common Stock if the holders of such affected series of Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as applicable, are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Certificate of Incorporation (including any Preferred Stock Designation) or the DGCL. Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate of Incorporation (including any Preferred Stock Designation), for so long as any shares of Class B Common Stock shall remain outstanding, the Corporation shall not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of this Certificate of Incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other rights of the Class B Common Stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B Common Stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the
action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B Common Stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B Common Stock were present and voted and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which minutes of proceedings of stockholders are recorded. Prompt written notice of the taking of corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent of the holders of Class B Common Stock shall, to the extent required by law, be given to those holders of Class B Common Stock who have not consented in writing and who, if the action had been taken at a meeting, would have been entitled to notice of the meeting if the record date for notice of such meeting had been the date that written consents signed by a sufficient number of holders of Class B Common Stock to take the action were delivered to the Corporation.
(ii) Class B Common Stock. Shares of Class B Common Stock shall be convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis (the “Initial Conversion Ratio”) (A) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof and (B) automatically on the business day following the closing of the Business Combination (as defined below). Notwithstanding the Initial Conversion Ratio, in the case that additional shares of Class A Common Stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in the Corporation’s initial public offering of securities and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, all issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall automatically convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at the time of the closing of the Corporation’s initial merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”) at a ratio for which:
| • | the numerator shall be equal to the sum of (A) 25% of all shares of Class A Common Stock issued or issuable (upon the conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or otherwise) by the Corporation (net of redemptions), related to or in connection with the consummation of the initial Business Combination (excluding any securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial Business Combination) plus (B) the number of shares of Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination; and |
| • | the denominator shall be the number of shares of Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination. |
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, (i) the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular issuance or deemed issuance of additional shares of Class A Common Stock or equity-linked securities by the written consent or agreement of holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding consenting or agreeing separately as a single class, and (ii) in no event shall the Class B Common Stock convert into Class A Common Stock at a ratio that is less than one-for-one.
The foregoing conversion ratio shall also be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by stock split, subdivision, exchange, stock dividend, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or combination (by reverse stock split, exchange, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock into a greater or lesser number of shares occurring after the original filing of this Certificate of Incorporation without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock.
Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert into its pro rata number of shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to this section. The pro rata share for each holder of Class B Common Stock will be determined as follows: Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert into such number of shares of Class A Common Stock as is equal to the product of one (1) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock into which all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall be converted pursuant to this section and the denominator of which shall be the total number of issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock at the time of conversion.
(iii) Dividends. Subject to the rights of the holders of Preferred Stock, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions (payable in cash, property or capital stock of the Corporation) when, as and if declared thereon by the Board from time to time out of any assets or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions.
2
(iv) Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up of the Corporation. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation, and subject to the rights of the holders of Preferred Stock in respect thereof, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive all the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders, ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Common Stock held by them.
FIFTH. The Corporation shall have perpetual existence.
SIXTH. The name and address of the sole incorporator is as follows: Albert Z. Gelin, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, 401 Congress Avenue, Suite 1700, Austin, TX 78701-3797.
SEVENTH. The directors shall have power to make and to alter or amend the bylaws; to fix the amount to be reserved as working capital, and to authorize and cause to be executed, mortgages and liens without limit as to the amount, upon the property and franchise of the Corporation.
With the consent in writing, and pursuant to a vote of the holders of a majority of the capital stock issued and outstanding, the directors shall have authority to dispose, in any manner, of the whole property of the Corporation.
The bylaws shall determine whether and to what extent the accounts and books of the Corporation, or any of them, shall be open to the inspection of the stockholders; and no stockholders shall have any right of inspecting any account, or book, or document of the Corporation, except as conferred by the law or the bylaws, or by resolution of the stockholders.
The stockholders and directors shall have power to hold their meetings and keep the books, documents and papers of the Corporation outside of the State of Delaware, at such places as may be from time to time designated by the bylaws or by resolution of the stockholders or directors, except as otherwise required by the laws of Delaware.
It is the intention that the objects, purposes and powers specified in the third paragraph hereof shall, except where otherwise specified in said paragraph, be nowise limited or restricted by reference to or inference from the terms of any other clause or paragraph in this Certificate of Incorporation, but that the objects, purposes and powers specified in the third paragraph and in each of the clauses or paragraphs of this charter shall be regarded as independent objects, purposes and powers.
EIGHTH. No director of the Corporation shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the DGCL hereafter is amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation of the liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation, in addition to the limitation on personal liability provided herein, shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by the amended DGCL. No amendment to or repeal of this Article Eighth shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any director of the Corporation for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to such amendment.
The Corporation, to the full extent permitted by applicable law, as amended from time to time, shall indemnify all persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which such officer or director may be entitled to indemnification hereunder shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized hereby.
NINTH.
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A. Exclusive Forum; Delaware Chancery Court. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder (including a beneficial owner) to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee, agent or stockholder of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or this Certificate or the Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine and, if filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “Foreign Action”) in the name of any stockholder, that stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce this section (an “Enforcement Action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such Enforcement Action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such stockholder. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any security of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this section.
B. Severability. If any provision or provisions of this section shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this section (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of this section containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any security of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this section.
TENTH. The corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Certificate of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon the stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.
***
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being the sole incorporator herein before named, has executed, signed and acknowledged this Certificate of Incorporation this 20th day of May, 2021.
| /s/ Albert Z. Gelin |
| Albert Z. Gelin, Incorporator |
4
Exhibit 4.4
FORM OF PUBLIC WARRANT AGREEMENT
between
ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
and
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
Dated as of [ ], 20[_]
THIS PUBLIC WARRANT AGREEMENT (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”), dated as of [ ], 20[_], is by and between Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent,” also referred to herein as the “Transfer Agent”).
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of units of the Company’s equity securities, each such unit comprised of one share of Series A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), and one-half of one redeemable Warrant (as defined below) (the “Units”) and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 12,500,000 warrants (or up to 14,375,000 warrants if the Over-Allotment Option (as defined below) is exercised in full) to public investors in the Offering (the “Warrants”);
WHEREAS, on [__], 20[_], the Company entered into that certain Private Placement Warrant Purchase Agreement with Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 7,900,000 warrants (or 8,900,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”) simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (and the closing of the Over-Allotment Option, if applicable), at a purchase price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant;
WHEREAS, each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one whole share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein;
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-[__] (the “Registration Statement”) and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the issuance of the Units, the Warrants and the shares of Common Stock included in the Units;
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent (if a physical certificate is issued), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the express terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2. Warrants.
2.1. Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only.
2.2. Effect of Countersignature. If a physical certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a certificated Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3. Registration.
2.3.1. Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the “Warrant Register”) for the registration of the initial issuance of the Warrants and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants in book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by institutions that have accounts with The Depository Trust Company (the “Depository”) (such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a “Participant”).
If the Depository subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent regarding making other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall provide written instructions to the Depository to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation each book-entry Warrant, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to the Depository definitive certificates in physical form evidencing such Warrants (the “Definitive Warrant Certificate”) which shall be in the form annexed hereto as Exhibit A.
Physical certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”), Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
2.3.2. Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “Registered Holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on any physical certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
2.4. Detachability of Warrants. The shares of Common Stock and the Warrants comprising the Units shall begin separate trading on the fifty-second (52nd) day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such fifty-second (52nd) day is not on a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a “Business Day”), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following such date, or earlier (the “Detachment Date”) with the consent of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., but in no event shall the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants comprising the Units be separately traded until (A) the Company has filed a current report on Form 8-K with the Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the Offering, including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise by the underwriters of their right to purchase additional Units in the Offering (the “Over-Allotment Option”), if the Over-Allotment Option is exercised or waived prior to the filing of such current report on Form 8-K, and (B) the Company issues a press release and files with the Commission a current report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin.
2.5. No Fractional Warrants Other Than as Part of Units. The Company shall not issue fractional Warrants other than as part of the Units, each of which is comprised of one share of Common Stock and one-half of one Warrant. If, upon the detachment of Warrants from Units or otherwise, a holder of Warrants would be entitled to receive a fractional Warrant, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number the number of Warrants to be issued to such holder.
3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1. Warrant Price. Each whole Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 hereof and in the last sentence of this Section 3.1. The term “Warrant Price”, as used in this Agreement, shall mean the price per share at which each share of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than twenty (20) Business Days, provided, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided, further, that any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants.
3.2. Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”) commencing on the later of: (i) the date that is thirty (30) days after the first date on which the Company completes a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”), or (ii) the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of the closing of the Offering, and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the earlier to occur of: (x) the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination, (y) the liquidation of the Company if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination, or (z) the Redemption Date (as defined below) as provided in Section 6.2 hereof (the “Expiration Date”); provided, however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2 below, with respect to an effective registration statement. Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price (as defined below), in the event of a redemption (as set forth in Section 6 hereof), each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become null and void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided, further, that any such extension shall be identical in duration among all the Warrants.
3.3. Exercise of Warrants.
3.3.1. Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by delivering to the Warrant Agent at its corporate trust department (i) the Definitive Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants to be exercised, or in the case of a Warrant represented by a book-entry, the Warrants to be exercised (the “Book-Entry Warrants”) on the records of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depository”), to an account of the Warrant Agent at the Depository designated for such purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depository from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase (“Election to Purchase”) shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant, properly completed and executed by the Registered Holder on the reverse of the Definitive Warrant Certificate or, in the case of a Book-Entry Warrant, properly delivered by the Participant in accordance with the Depository’s procedures, and (iii) the payment in full the Warrant Price for each full share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such share of Common Stock, as follows:
(a) in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the Warrant Agent or by wire transfer of immediately available funds;
(b) in the event of a redemption pursuant to Section 6.1 hereof in which the Board has elected to require all holders of the Warrants to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Warrant Price and the “Fair Market Value”, as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b) by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last sale price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Warrants, pursuant to Section 6.2 hereof; or
(c) as provided in Section 7.4 hereof.
3.3.2. Issuance of Shares of Common Stock on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a) hereof), the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned Warrant, as applicable, for the number of shares of Common Stock as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a Warrant, the holder of such Warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrant and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless, in which case the purchaser of a Unit containing such Warrants shall have paid the full purchase price for the Unit solely for the shares of Common Stock underlying such Unit. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. The Company may require holders of Warrants to settle the Warrant on a “cashless basis” pursuant to Section 7.4.2 hereof. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a “cashless basis”, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
3.3.3. Valid Issuance. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3.3.4. Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock on the date on which the Warrant, or book-entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate in the case of a certificated Warrant, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares of Common Stock at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are open.
3.3.5. Maximum Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; however, no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8%, or such other amount as a holder may specify (the “Maximum Percentage”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
4. Adjustments.
4.1. Stock Dividends.
4.1.1. Stock Dividends and Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 hereof, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the issued and outstanding shares of
Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the shares of Common Stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, in determining the price payable for the shares of Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no shares of Common Stock shall be issued at less than their par value.
4.1.2. Extraordinary Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common Stock (or other shares of the Company’s share capital into which the Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in subsection 4.1.1 above, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the shares of Common Stock if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination within the period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or (e) in connection with the redemption of the shares of Common Stock included in the Units sold in the Offering upon the Company’s failure to complete the Company’s initial Business Combination (any such non-excluded event being referred to herein as an “Extraordinary Dividend”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Board, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.2, “Ordinary Cash Dividends” means any cash dividend or cash distribution which, when combined on a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the shares of Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does not exceed $0.50.
4.2. Aggregation of Shares. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 hereof, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock.
4.3. Adjustments in Warrant Price.
4.3.1. Adjustment. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in Section 4.1 or 4.2 hereof, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
4.3.2. Additional Shares. If (x) the Company issues additional shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Common Stock, with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Board (and in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by the Sponsor or their 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 an initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of such initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates an initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price 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 $18.00 per share redemption trigger price (as described in Section 6 hereof) will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
4.4. Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change covered by Section 4.1 or 4.2 hereof or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity in which any “person” or “group” (as such terms are used in Section 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) acquires more than 50% of the voting power of the Company’s securities or conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the
exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event (the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that (i) if the holders of the shares of Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election or (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the shares of Common Stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by stockholders of the Company as provided for in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, or as a result of the redemption of the shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the stockholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of directors of the Company, of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company, and (for the avoidance of doubt) such tender offer results in a change of control of the Company, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the shares of Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4 and, in each case, if less than seventy percent (70%) of the consideration receivable by the holders of shares of Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a current report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference, if positive, of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) (but in no event less than zero) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below) (which amount determined under this clause (ii) shall not be less than zero). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Model for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets (“Bloomberg”), as calculated by an accounting, appraisal, investment banking firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith
judgment of the Board, qualified to make such calculation. For purposes of calculating such amount, (1) Section 6.1 shall be taken into account, (2) the price of each share of Common Stock shall be the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of the Common stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event, (3) the assumed volatility shall be the ninety (90) day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg determined as of the trading day immediately prior to the day of the announcement of the applicable event unless the third party valuation firm definitively determines that a different volatility is more appropriate, and (4) the assumed risk-free interest rate shall correspond to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the remaining term of the Warrant. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the shares of Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume-weighted average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in Common Stock covered by subsection 4.1.1 hereof, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, or 4.3 hereof and this Section 4.4. The provisions of this Section 4.4 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
4.5. Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based; provided, however, that no adjustment to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant shall be required until cumulative adjustments amount to one percent (1%) or more of the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant as last adjusted; provided, further, that any such adjustments that are not made are carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all such carried forward adjustments shall be made (i) in connection with any subsequent adjustment that (taken together with such carried forward adjustments) would result in a change of at least one percent (1%) in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant and (ii) on the exercise date of any Warrant. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.4 hereof, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
4.6. No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue a fractional share of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
4.7. Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares of Common Stock as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.
5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.
5.1. Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated Warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.2. Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided herein or with respect to any Book-Entry Warrant, each Book-Entry Warrant may be transferred only in whole and only to the Depository, to another nominee of the Depository, to a successor depository or to a nominee of a successor depository; provided, further, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
5.3. Transfers of Fractions of Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange of Warrants which would result in the issuance of a Warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant, except as part of the Units.
5.4. Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.5. Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
5.6. Transfer of Warrants. Prior to the Detachment Date, the Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such Unit. Furthermore, each transfer of a Unit on the register relating to such Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included in such Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 5.6 shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants on and after the Detachment Date.
6. Redemption of Warrants.
6.1. Redemption of Warrants for Cash. All, but not less than all, of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed for cash, at the option of the Company, at any time during the Exercise Period, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon notice to the Registered Holders of the Warrants, as described in Section 6.2 hereof, at a Redemption Price of $0.01 per Warrant, provided that the last reported sale price of the share of Common Stock has been at least $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment in compliance with Section 4 hereof), on each of twenty (20) trading days within the thirty (30) trading day period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which notice of the redemption is given and provided, that there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the 30-day Redemption Period (as defined in Section 6.2 hereof) or the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) hereof.
6.2. Date Fixed for, and Notice of Redemption; Redemption Price. In the event that the Company elects to redeem the Warrants pursuant to Section 6.1 hereof, the Company shall fix a date for the redemption (the “Redemption Date”). Notice of redemption shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date (the “30-day Redemption Period”) to the Registered Holders of the Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the Registered Holder received such notice. As used in this Agreement, “Redemption Price” shall mean the price per Warrant at which any Warrants are redeemed pursuant to Section 6.1.
6.3. Exercise After Notice of Redemption. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) hereof, if applicable) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section 6.2 hereof and prior to the Redemption Date. In the event that the Company determines to require all holders of Warrants to exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) hereof, the notice of redemption shall contain instructions on how to calculate the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon exercise of the Warrants. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Warrants, the Redemption Price.
7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.
7.1. No Rights as Stockholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholder in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
7.2. Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.
7.3. Reservation of Shares of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.
7.4. Registration of Shares of Common Stock; Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option.
7.4.1. Registration of the Common Stock. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty (20) Business Days after the closing of its initial Business Combination, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective within sixty (60) Business Days following the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the sixty-first (61st) Business Day after the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by exchanging the Warrants (in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor statute) or another exemption) for that number of shares of Common Stock per Warrant equal to (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Fair Market Value (as defined below) and the Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 7.4.1 and subsection 7.4.2 , “Fair Market Value” shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of the Common Stock as reported for the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the Warrant Agent from the holder of such Warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. The date that notice of “cashless exercise” is received by the Warrant Agent shall be conclusively determined by the Warrant Agent. In connection with the “cashless exercise” of a Warrant, the Company shall, upon request, provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with this subsection 7.4.1 is not required to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii) the shares of Common Stock issued upon such exercise shall be freely tradable under United States federal securities laws by anyone who is not an affiliate (as such term is defined in
Rule 144 under the Securities Act (or any successor rule)) of the Company and, accordingly, shall not be required to bear a restrictive legend. Except as provided in subsection 7.4.2 hereof, for the avoidance of any doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised or have expired, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this subsection 7.4.1.
7.4.2. Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option. If the shares of 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 (or any successor statute), the Company may, at its option, (i) require holders of Warrants who exercise Warrants to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor statute) as described in subsection 7.4.1 hereof and (ii) in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall (x) not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary and (y) use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify for sale the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the blue sky laws of the state of residence of the exercising Warrant holder to the extent an exemption is not available.
8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
8.1. Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company and the Warrant Agent shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares of Common Stock.
8.2. Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.
8.2.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation or other entity organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or
appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
8.2.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Transfer Agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
8.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any entity into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
8.3. Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.
8.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
8.3.2. Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4. Liability of Warrant Agent.
8.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4.2. Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own, or its representatives’, gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, out-of-pocket costs and reasonable outside counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s or its representatives’ gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement.
8.4.3. Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.
8.5. Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Common Stock through the exercise of the Warrants.
8.6. Waiver. The Warrant Agent has no right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Warrant Agent as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent hereby waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
9. Miscellaneous Provisions.
9.1. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
9.2. Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
6 St Johns Lane
New York, New York 10013
Attn: Shahraab Ahmad
Email: shahraab@atlanticcoastalacquisition.com
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
31 W 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019
Attn: Stephen Ashley
Email: stephen.ashley@pillsburylaw.com
Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attn: Stacy Aqui
Email: saqui@continentalstock.com
in each case, with a copy to:
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
31 W 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019
Attn: Stephen Ashley
Email: stephen.ashley@pillsburylaw.com
and
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
[•]
New York, New York [•]
Attn: [•]
Email: [•]
and
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10105
Attn: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.
Email: sneuhauser@egsllp.com
9.3. Applicable Law; Exclusive Forum. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. Subject to applicable law, the Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall 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 irrevocably submits
to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 9.3. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within 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 Warrant holder, such Warrant holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District 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.
9.4. Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person, corporation or other entity other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
9.5. Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.
9.6. Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
9.7. Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
9.8. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any mistake or defective provision contained herein, including to conform the provisions hereof to the description of the terms of the Warrants and this Agreement set forth in the Prospectus, (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the rights of the Registered Holders or (iii) to provide for the delivery of an Alternative Issuance
pursuant to Section 4.4 hereof. All other modifications or amendments, including any modification or amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of fifty percent (50%) of the then outstanding Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2 hereof, respectively, without the consent of the Registered Holders. The Company covenants and agrees to not lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period of the Warrants without taking the same actions with respect to the Private Placement Warrants.
9.9. Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Shahraab Ahmad | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Stacy Aqui | |
| Title: | Vice President | |
[Signature Page to Warrant Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[FACE]
Number
Warrants
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR
TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
Incorporated Under the Laws of the State of Delaware
CUSIP [__]
Warrant Certificate
This Warrant Certificate certifies that , or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the “Warrants” and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase shares of Series A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Warrant Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price per share of Common Stock for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become null and void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof.
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[Reverse]
The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive shares of Common Stock and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of [__], 202[_] (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Warrant Agreement”), duly executed and delivered by the Company to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (or successor warrant agent) (collectively, the “Warrant Agent”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Warrant Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the shares of Common Stock is current, except through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Warrant Price set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in Common Stock, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
This Warrant Certificate, when surrendered at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other governmental charge imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.
Election to Purchase
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment for such shares of Common Stock to the order of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) in the amount of $ in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to whose address is . If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to , whose address is .
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive shares of Common Stock. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to , whose address is .
[Signature Page follows]
Date: __, 20[ ]
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| (Tax Identification Number) |
Signature Guaranteed:
THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED).
Exhibit 4.6
FORM OF PRIVATE WARRANT AGREEMENT
between
ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
and
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
Dated as of [ ], 20[_]
THIS PRIVATE WARRANT AGREEMENT (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”), dated as of [ ], 20[_], is by and between Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent,” also referred to herein as the “Transfer Agent”).
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of units of the Company’s equity securities, each such unit comprised of one share of Series A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), and one-half of one public warrant (the “Units”) and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 12,500,000 warrants (or up to 14,375,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) to public investors in the Offering (the “Public Warrants”);
WHEREAS, on [__], 20[__], the Company entered into that certain Private Placement Warrant Purchase Agreement with Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 7,900,000 warrants (or 8,900,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”) simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (and the closing of the over-allotment option, if applicable), at a purchase price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant;
WHEREAS, in order to finance the Company’s transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination (as defined below), the Sponsor or affiliates of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as the Company may require, of which up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into up to an additional 1,000,000 warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant (the “Working Capital Warrants” and, together with the Private Placement Warrants, the “Warrants”);
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-[__] (the “Registration Statement”) and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the issuance of the Units, the Public Warrants and the shares of Common Stock included in the Units;
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent (if a physical certificate is issued), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the express terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2. Warrants.
2.1. Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only.
2.2. Effect of Countersignature. If a physical certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a certificated Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3. Registration.
2.3.1. Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the “Warrant Register”) for the registration of the initial issuance of the Warrants and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants in book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. If requested, the Registered Holder (as defined below) shall be issued a definitive certificate in physical form evidencing such Warrants which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Definitive Warrant Certificate”).
Physical certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”), Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
2.3.2. Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “Registered Holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on any physical certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1. Warrant Price. Each whole Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 hereof and in the penultimate sentence of this Section 3.1. The term “Warrant Price”, as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share at which each share of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than twenty (20) Business Days, provided, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided, further, that any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants. The term “Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business.
3.2. Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”) commencing on the later of: (i) the date that is thirty (30) days after the first date on which the Company completes a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”), or (ii) the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of the closing of the Offering and terminating at the earlier to occur of (x) 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination and (y) the liquidation of the Company (the “Expiration Date”); provided, however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2 hereof, with respect to an effective registration statement. Each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become null and void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided, further, that any such extension shall be identical in duration among all the Warrants and the Public Warrants.
3.3. Exercise of Warrants.
3.3.1. Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by delivering to the Warrant Agent at its corporate trust department (i) the Definitive Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants to be exercised, or in the case of a Warrant represented by a book-entry, the Warrants to be exercised (the “Book-Entry Warrants”) on the records of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depository”), to an account of the Warrant Agent at the Depository designated for such purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depository from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase (“Election to Purchase”) shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant, properly completed and executed by the Registered Holder on the reverse of the Definitive Warrant Certificate or, in the case of a Book-Entry Warrant, properly delivered by the Participant in accordance with the Depository’s procedures, and (iii) the payment in full the Warrant Price for each full share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such share of Common Stock, as follows:
(a) in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the Warrant Agent or by wire transfer of immediately available funds;
(b) by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the “Sponsor Fair Market Value”, as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b), over the Warrant Price by (y) the Sponsor Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b), the “Sponsor Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last sale price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of exercise of the Warrant is sent to Warrant Agent; or
as provided in Section 6.4 hereof.
3.3.2. Issuance of Shares of Common Stock on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a) hereof), the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned Warrant, as applicable, for the number of shares of Common Stock as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a Warrant, the holder of such Warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrant and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless, in which case the purchaser of a Unit containing such Warrants shall have paid the full purchase
price for the Unit solely for the shares of Common Stock underlying such Unit. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a “cashless basis”, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement, for so long as any Warrant is held by the Sponsor or any Permitted Transferees (as defined below), such Warrant will not be exercisable more than five (5) years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, in accordance with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) Rules. In addition, no such Warrant will contain terms which allow the Sponsor or any Permitted Transferees to receive or accrue cash dividends prior to the exercise of the Warrants.
3.3.3. Valid Issuance. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3.3.4. Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock on the date on which the Warrant, or book-entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate in the case of a certificated Warrant, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares of Common Stock at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are open.
3.3.5. Maximum Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; however, no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8%, or such other amount as a holder may specify (the “Maximum Percentage”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). For
purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
3.3.6. Lock-up of Private Placement Warrants. The Warrants held by the Sponsor (or any Permitted Transferees) and the shares of Common Stock that are issuable upon exercise of such Warrants have been deemed compensation by the FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), commencing on the effective date of the Registration Statement. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be sold during the Offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the Registration Statement or commencement of sales of the Offering, except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the Offering and their bona fide officers or partners (provided that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lockup restriction above for the remainder of the time period) or pursuant to another exception to the applicability of FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1).
4. Adjustments.
4.1. Stock Dividends.
4.1.1. Stock Dividends and Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 hereof, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the shares of Common Stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per
share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, in determining the price payable for the shares of Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no shares of Common Stock shall be issued at less than their par value.
4.1.2. Extraordinary Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common Stock (or other shares of the Company’s share capital into which the Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in subsection 4.1.1 above, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the shares of Common Stock if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination within the period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or (e) in connection with the redemption of the shares of Common Stock included in the Units sold in the Offering upon the Company’s failure to complete the Company’s initial Business Combination (any such non-excluded event being referred to herein as an “Extraordinary Dividend”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Board, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.2, “Ordinary Cash Dividends” means any cash dividend or cash distribution which, when combined on a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the shares of Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does not exceed $0.50.
4.2. Aggregation of Shares. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 hereof, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock.
4.3. Adjustments in Warrant Price.
4.3.1. Adjustment. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in Section 4.1 or 4.2 hereof, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter..
4.3.2. Additional Shares. If (x) the Company issues additional shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Common Stock, with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Board (and in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by the Sponsor or their 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 an initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of such initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates an initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price 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 $18.00 per share redemption trigger price (as described in Section 6 hereof) will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
4.4. Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change covered by Section 4.1 or 4.2 hereof or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity in which any “person” or “group” (as such terms are used in Section 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) acquires more than 50% of the voting power of the Company’s securities or conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event (the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that (i) if the holders of the shares of Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and
amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election or (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the shares of Common Stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by stockholders of the Company as provided for in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, or as a result of the redemption of the shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the stockholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of directors of the Company, of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company, and (for the avoidance of doubt) such tender offer results in a change of control of the Company, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the shares of Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4 and, in each case, if less than seventy percent (70%) of the consideration receivable by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a current report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference, if positive, of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) (but in no event less than zero) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below) (which amount determined under this clause (ii) shall not be less than zero). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Model for an uncapped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets (“Bloomberg”), as calculated by an accounting, appraisal, investment banking firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith judgment of the Board, qualified to make such calculation. For purposes of calculating such amount, (1) the price of each share of Common Stock shall be the average last reported sale price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event, (2) the assumed volatility shall be the ninety (90) day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg determined as of the trading day immediately prior to the day of the announcement of the applicable event unless the third party valuation firm definitively determines that a different volatility is more appropriate, and (3) the assumed risk-free interest rate shall correspond to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the remaining
term of the Warrant. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the shares of Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in shares of Common Stock covered by subsection 4.1.1 hereof, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, or 4.3 hereof and this Section 4.4. The provisions of this Section 4.4 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
4.5. Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based; provided, however, that no adjustment to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant shall be required until cumulative adjustments amount to one percent (1%) or more of the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant as last adjusted; provided, further, that any such adjustments that are not made are carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all such carried forward adjustments shall be made (i) in connection with any subsequent adjustment that (taken together with such carried forward adjustments) would result in a change of at least one percent (1%) in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant and (ii) on the exercise date of any Warrant. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.4 hereof, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
4.6. No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue a fractional share of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
4.7. Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares of Common Stock as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.
5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.
5.1. Transferability. The Warrants and any shares of Common Stock held by the Sponsor or any Permitted Transferees and issued upon exercise of the Warrants may only be transferred by the holders thereof:
(a) to any persons (including their affiliates and members) participating in the private placement of the Private Placement Warrants;
(b) among the Company’s founders, or to the Company’s officers, directors and employees;
(c) in the case of an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation;
(d) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes;
(e) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death;
(f) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order;
(g) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of the Company’s securities;
(h) by private sales or transfers at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; or
(i) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination;
provided, however, that, in the case of clauses (a) through (h), any such transferees (the “Permitted Transferees”) enter into a written agreement with the Company agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions in this Agreement.
5.2. Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated Warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.3. Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants;
provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided herein or with respect to any Book-Entry Warrant, each Book-Entry Warrant may be transferred only in whole and only to the Depository, to another nominee of the Depository, to a successor depository or to a nominee of a successor depository; provided, further, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
5.4. Transfers of Fractions of Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange of Warrants which would result in the issuance of a Warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant.
5.5. Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.6. Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
6. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.
6.1. No Rights as Stockholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholder in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
6.2. Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.
6.3. Reservation of Shares of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.
7. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
7.1. Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company and the Warrant Agent shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares of Common Stock.
7.2. Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.
7.2.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation or other entity organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
7.2.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Transfer Agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
7.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any entity into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
7.3. Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.
7.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
7.3.2. Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
7.4. Liability of Warrant Agent.
7.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
7.4.2. Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own, or its representatives’, gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, out-of-pocket costs and reasonable outside counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s or its representatives’ gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement.
7.4.3. Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.
7.5. Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Common Stock through the exercise of the Warrants.
7.6. Waiver. The Warrant Agent has no right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Warrant Agent as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent hereby waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
8. Miscellaneous Provisions.
8.1. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
8.2. Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
6 St Johns Lane
New York, New York 10013
Attn: Shahraab Ahmad
Email: shahraab@atlanticcoastalacquisition.com
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
31 W 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019
Attn: Stephen Ashley
Email: stephen.ashley@pillsburylaw.com
Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attn: Stacy Aqui
Email: saqui@continentalstock.com
in each case, with a copy to:
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
31 W 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019
Attn: Stephen Ashley
Email: stephen.ashley@pillsburylaw.com
and
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
[•]
New York, New York [•]
Attn: [•]
Email: [•]
and
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10105
Attn: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.
Email: sneuhauser@egsllp.com
8.3. Applicable Law; Exclusive Forum. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. Subject to applicable law, the Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall 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 irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 8.3. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within 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 Warrant holder, such Warrant holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District 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.
8.4. Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person, corporation or other entity other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
8.5. Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.
8.6. Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
8.7. Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
8.8. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any mistake or defective provision contained herein, including to conform the provisions hereof to the description of the terms of the Warrants and this Agreement set forth in the Prospectus, (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the rights of the Registered Holders or (iii) to provide for the delivery of an Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.4 hereof. All other modifications or amendments, including any modification or amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of fifty percent (50%) of the then outstanding Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2 hereof, respectively, without the consent of the Registered Holders. The Company covenants and agrees to not lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period of the Warrants without taking the same actions with respect to the Public Warrants.
8.9. Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Shahraab Ahmad | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Stacy Aqui | |
| Title: | Vice President | |
[Signature Page to Warrant Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
LEGEND
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, SUBJECT TO ANY ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON TRANSFER DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER AGREEMENT BY AND AMONG ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II (THE “COMPANY”), ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT II LLC AND THE OTHER PARTIES THERETO, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE DATE UPON WHICH THE COMPANY COMPLETES ITS INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 3 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT REFERRED TO HEREIN) EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 5 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT) WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.
SECURITIES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OF THE COMPANY ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OF SUCH SECURITIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTRATION RIGHTS UNDER A REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT TO BE EXECUTED BY THE COMPANY.”
EXHIBIT B
[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[FACE]
Number [__]
Warrants
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR
TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II
Incorporated Under the Laws of the State of Delaware
CUSIP [__]
Warrant Certificate
This Warrant Certificate certifies that , or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the “Warrants” and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase shares of Series A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Warrant Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price per share of Common Stock for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become null and void.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof.
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[Reverse]
The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive shares of Common Stock and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of [__], 20[__] (the “Warrant Agreement”), duly executed and delivered by the Company to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (or successor warrant agent) (collectively, the “Warrant Agent”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Warrant Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the shares of Common Stock is current, except through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Warrant Price set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in Common Stock, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
This Warrant Certificate, when surrendered at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other governmental charge imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.
Election to Purchase
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment for such shares of Common Stock to the order of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) in the amount of $ in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to whose address is . If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to , whose address is .
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive shares of Common Stock. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to , whose address is .
[Signature Page follows]
Date: __, 20[ ]
| (Signature) |
| (Address) |
| (Tax Identification Number) |
Signature Guaranteed:
THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED).
Exhibit 5.1
PILLSBURY WINTHROP SHAW PITTMAN LLP
31 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019
December 2, 2021
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5
New York, NY 10013
Re: Registration Statement on Form S-1
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are acting as counsel for Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 relating to the registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) of 28,750,000 units (including 3,750,000 units subject to the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of the Company (the “Units”), each Unit consisting of one share of Series A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share of the Company (the “Common Stock” and the shares of Common Stock included in the Units, the “Shares”), and one-half of one warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Warrants”). Such Registration Statement, as amended, is herein referred to as the “Registration Statement.”
We have reviewed and are familiar with such corporate proceedings and other matters and examined such documents as we have considered relevant or necessary for the opinions expressed in this letter. In such examination we have assumed the accuracy and completeness of all documents and other materials submitted to us, the conformity with the originals of all such materials submitted to us as copies (whether or not certified and including facsimiles), the authenticity of the originals of such materials and all materials submitted to us as originals, the genuineness of all signatures and the legal capacity of all natural persons.
On the basis of the foregoing and the assumptions set forth below, and subject to the qualifications and limitations set forth herein, we are of the opinion that:
| 1. | The Units, when issued and sold by the Company in the manner described in the Registration Statement and in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, except as may be limited by the effect of (a) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance and transfer, receivership, conservatorship, |
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
December 2, 2021
Page 2
arrangement, moratorium and other similar laws affecting or relating to the rights of creditors generally, (b) general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and (c) requirements of reasonableness, good faith, materiality and fair dealing and the discretion of the court before which any matter may be brought.
| 2. | When the Units have been issued and sold by the Company in the manner described in the Registration Statement and in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. |
| 3. | When Units have been issued and sold by the Company in the manner described in the Registration Statement and in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company, and a warrant agreement (in connection with Warrants) between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant Agent, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by each of the parties thereto, the Warrants will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, except as may be limited by the effect of (a) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance and transfer, receivership, conservatorship, arrangement, moratorium and other similar laws affecting or relating to the rights of creditors generally, (b) general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and (c) requirements of reasonableness, good faith, materiality and fair dealing and the discretion of the court before which any matter may be brought. |
We have assumed that at or prior to the time of the delivery of any of the Units the Registration Statement will have been declared effective under the Act. The opinions set forth in this letter are limited to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the law of the State of New York, in each case as in effect on the date hereof.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement and in the Prospectus included therein. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Exhibit 10.3
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II
6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5
New York, NY 10013
October 25, 2021
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC
6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5
New York, NY 10013
RE: Securities Subscription Agreement
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into on October 25, 2021 by and between Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Subscriber” or “you”), and Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we” or “us”). Pursuant to the terms hereof, the Company hereby accepts the offer the Subscriber has made to purchase 7,180,305 shares of Series B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (together with the 7,195 shares of Series B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share previously acquired by Subscriber, the “Shares”), up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by you if the underwriters of the initial public offering (“IPO”) of units (“Units”) of the Company do not fully exercise their over-allotment option (the “Over-allotment Option”). The Company and the Subscriber’s agreements regarding such Shares are as follows:
| 1. | Purchase of Securities. |
| 1.1 | Purchase of Shares. For the sum of $24,975 (together with the $25 previously paid for the initial issuance of 8,625 of the Shares, the “Purchase Price”), which the Company acknowledges receiving in cash, the Company hereby issues the Shares to the Subscriber, and the Subscriber hereby purchases the Shares from the Company, subject to forfeiture, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement. Concurrently with the Subscriber’s execution of this Agreement, the Company shall, at its option, deliver to the Subscriber a certificate registered in the Subscriber’s name representing the shares (the “Original Certificate”), or effect such delivery in book-entry form. |
| 2. | Representations, Warranties and Agreements. |
| 2.1 | Subscriber’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements. To induce the Company to issue the Shares to the Subscriber, the Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to the Company and agrees with the Company as follows: |
| 2.1.1 | No Government Recommendation or Approval. The Subscriber understands that no federal or state agency has passed upon or made any recommendation or endorsement of the offering of the Shares. |
| 2.1.2 | No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by the Subscriber of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or constitute a default under (i) the formation and governing documents of the Subscriber, (ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Subscriber is a party or (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Subscriber is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Subscriber is subject. |
| 2.1.3 | Organization and Authority. The Subscriber is a Delaware limited liability company, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of Delaware and possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Upon execution and delivery by you, this Agreement is a legal, valid and binding agreement of Subscriber, enforceable against Subscriber in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding at law or in equity). |
| 2.1.4 | Experience, Financial Capability and Suitability. Subscriber is: (i) sophisticated in financial matters and is able to evaluate the risks and benefits of the investment in the Shares and (ii) able to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Shares for an indefinite period of time because the Shares have not been registered under the Securities Act as amended (the “Securities Act”) and therefore cannot be sold unless subsequently registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available. Subscriber is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of its investment in the Company and has the capacity to protect its own interests. Subscriber must bear the economic risk of this investment until the Shares are sold pursuant to: (i) an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or (ii) an exemption from registration available with respect to such sale. Subscriber is able to bear the economic risks of an investment in the Shares and to afford a complete loss of Subscriber’s investment in the Shares. |
| 2.1.5 | Access to Information; Independent Investigation. Prior to the execution of this Agreement, the Subscriber has had the opportunity to ask questions of and receive answers from representatives of the Company concerning an investment in the Company, as well as the finances, operations, business and prospects of the Company, and the opportunity to obtain additional information to verify the accuracy of all information so obtained. In determining whether to make this investment, Subscriber has relied solely on Subscriber’s own knowledge and understanding of the Company and its business based upon Subscriber’s own due diligence investigation and the information furnished pursuant to this paragraph. Subscriber understands that no person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations which were not furnished pursuant to this Section 2 and Subscriber has not relied on any other representations or information in making its investment decision, whether written or oral, relating to the Company, its operations and/or its prospects. |
| 2.1.6 | Regulation D Offering. Subscriber represents that it is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act and acknowledges the sale contemplated hereby is being made in reliance on a private placement exemption to “accredited investors” within the meaning of Section 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act or similar exemptions under state law. |
| 2.1.7 | Investment Purposes. The Subscriber is purchasing the Shares solely for investment purposes, for the Subscriber’s own account and not for the account or benefit of any other person, and not with a view towards the distribution or dissemination thereof. The Subscriber did not decide to enter into this Agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502 under the Securities Act. |
| 2.1.8 | Restrictions on Transfer; Shell Company. Subscriber understands the Shares are being offered in a transaction not involving a public offering within the meaning of the Securities Act. Subscriber understands the Shares will be “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, and Subscriber understands that the certificates or book-entries representing the Shares will contain a legend in respect of such restrictions. If in the future the Subscriber decides to offer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Shares, such Shares may be offered, resold, pledged or otherwise transferred only pursuant to: (i) registration under the Securities Act, or (ii) an available exemption from registration. Subscriber agrees that if any transfer of its Shares or any interest therein is proposed to be made, as a condition precedent to any such transfer, Subscriber may be required to deliver to the Company an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company. Absent registration or an exemption, the Subscriber agrees not to resell the Shares. Subscriber further acknowledges that because the Company is a shell company, Rule 144 may not be available to the Subscriber for the resale of the Shares until one year following consummation of the initial business combination of the Company, despite technical compliance with the requirements of Rule 144 and the release or waiver of any contractual transfer restrictions. |
| 2.1.9 | No Governmental Consents. No governmental, administrative or other third party consents or approvals are required, necessary or appropriate on the part of Subscriber in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. |
| 2.2 | Company’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements. To induce the Subscriber to purchase the Shares, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Subscriber and agrees with the Subscriber as follows: |
| 2.2.1 | Organization and Corporate Power. The Company is a Delaware corporation and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Company. The Company possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. |
| 2.2.2 | No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or constitute a default under (i) the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company, (ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company is a party or (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject. |
| 2.2.3 | Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Shares will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Subscriber will have or receive good title to the Shares, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (a) transfer restrictions hereunder and other agreements to which the Shares may be subject which have been notified to the Subscriber in writing, (b) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws, and (c) liens, claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Subscriber. |
| 2.2.4 | No Adverse Actions. There are no actions, suits, investigations or proceedings pending, threatened against or affecting the Company which: (i) seek to restrain, enjoin, prevent the consummation of or otherwise affect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (ii) question the validity or legality of any transactions or seeks to recover damages or to obtain other relief in connection with any transactions. |
| 3. | Forfeiture of Shares. |
| 3.1 | Partial or No Exercise of the Over-allotment Option. In the event the Over-allotment Option granted to the underwriters of the IPO is not exercised in full, the Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that it (or, if applicable, it and any transferees of Shares) shall forfeit any and all rights to such number of Shares (up to an aggregate of 937,500 Shares and pro rata based upon the percentage of the Over-allotment Option exercised) such that immediately following such forfeiture, the Subscriber (and all other initial stockholders prior to the IPO, if any) will own an aggregate number of Shares (not including shares of Series A common stock (collectively with Series B common stock, the “Common Stock”) included in Units, issuable upon exercise of any warrants or any shares of Series A common stock purchased by Subscriber in the IPO or in the aftermarket) equal to 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock immediately following the IPO. |
| 3.2 | Termination of Rights as Stockholder. If any of the Shares are forfeited in accordance with this Section 3, then after such time the Subscriber (or successor in interest), shall no longer have any rights as a holder of such forfeited Shares, and the Company shall take such action as is appropriate to cancel such forfeited Shares. |
| 3.3 | Share Certificates. In the event an adjustment to the Original Certificate, if any, is required pursuant to this Section 3, then the Subscriber shall return such Original Certificate to the Company or its designated agent as soon as practicable upon its receipt of notice from the Company advising Subscriber of such adjustment, following which a new certificate (the “New Certificate”), if any, shall be issued in such amount representing the adjusted number of Shares held by the Subscriber. The New Certificate, if any, shall be returned to the Subscriber as soon as practicable. Any such adjustment for any uncertificated securities held by the Subscriber shall be made in book-entry form. |
| 4. | Waiver of Liquidation Distributions; Redemption Rights. In connection with the Shares purchased pursuant to this Agreement, the Subscriber hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any distributions by the Company from the trust account which will be established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders and into which substantially all of the proceeds of the IPO will be deposited (the “Trust Account”), in the event of a liquidation of the Company upon the Company’s failure to timely complete an initial business combination. For purposes of clarity, in the event the Subscriber purchases shares of Series A common stock in the IPO or in the aftermarket, any additional shares of Series A common stock so purchased shall be eligible to receive any liquidating distributions by the Company. However, in no event will the Subscriber have the right to redeem any shares of Common Stock into funds held in the Trust Account upon the successful completion of an initial business combination. |
| 5. | Restrictions on Transfer. |
| 5.1 | Securities Law Restrictions. In addition to any restrictions to be contained in that certain letter agreement (commonly known as an “Insider Letter”) to be dated as of the closing of the IPO by and between Subscriber and the Company, Subscriber agrees not to sell, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the Shares unless, prior thereto (a) a registration statement on the appropriate form under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws with respect to the Shares proposed to be transferred shall then be effective or (b) the Company has received an opinion from counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Company, that such registration is not required because such transaction is exempt from registration under the Securities Act and the rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder and with all applicable state securities laws. |
| 5.2 | Lock-up. Subscriber acknowledges that the Shares will be subject to lock-up provisions (the “Lock-up”) contained in the Insider Letter. |
| 5.3 | Restrictive Legends. Any certificates representing the Shares shall have endorsed thereon legends substantially as follows: |
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND NEITHER THE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST THEREIN MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SUCH ACT OR SUCH LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH LAWS WHICH, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL, IS AVAILABLE.”
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO A LOCKUP AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED DURING THE TERM OF THE LOCKUP.”
| 5.4 | Additional Shares or Substituted Securities. In the event of the declaration of a share dividend, the declaration of an extraordinary dividend payable in a form other than Shares, a spin-off, a share split, an adjustment in conversion ratio, a recapitalization or a similar transaction affecting the Company’s outstanding Shares without receipt of consideration, any new, substituted or additional securities or other property which are by reason of such transaction distributed with respect to any Shares subject to this Section 5 or into which such Shares thereby become convertible shall immediately be subject to this Section 5 and Section 3. Appropriate adjustments to reflect the distribution of such securities or property shall be made to the number and/or class of Shares subject to this Section 5 and Section 3. |
| 5.5 | Registration Rights. Subscriber acknowledges that the Shares are being purchased pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and will become freely tradable only after certain conditions are met or they are registered pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be entered into with the Company prior to the closing of the IPO. |
| 6. | Other Agreements. |
| 6.1 | Further Assurances. Subscriber agrees to execute such further instruments and to take such further action as may reasonably be necessary to carry out the intent of this Agreement. |
| 6.2 | Notices. All notices, statements or other documents which are required or contemplated by this Agreement shall be: (i) in writing and delivered personally or sent by first class registered or certified mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii) by facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by such party and (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail address most recently provided to such party or such other electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic transmission, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by mail. |
| 6.3 | Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Insider Letter and the Registration Rights Agreement, each substantially in the form to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 associated with the IPO, embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the Subscriber and the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior oral or written agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof. No statement, representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of any kind not expressly set forth in this Agreement shall affect, or be used to interpret, change or restrict, the express terms and provisions of this Agreement. |
| 6.4 | Modifications and Amendments. The terms and provisions of this Agreement may be modified or amended only by written agreement executed by all parties hereto. |
| 6.5 | Waivers and Consents. The terms and provisions of this Agreement may be waived, or consent for the departure therefrom granted, only by a written document executed by the party entitled to the benefits of such terms or provisions. No such waiver or consent shall be deemed to be or shall constitute a waiver or consent with respect to any other terms or provisions of this Agreement, whether or not similar. Each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which it was given, and shall not constitute a continuing waiver or consent. |
| 6.6 | Assignment. The rights and obligations under this Agreement may not be assigned by either party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party. |
| 6.7 | Benefit. All statements, representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this Agreement shall be binding on the parties hereto and shall inure to the benefit of the respective successors and permitted assigns of each party hereto. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to create any rights or obligations except among the parties hereto, and no person or entity shall be regarded as a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement. |
| 6.8 | Governing Law. This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of New York applicable to contracts wholly performed within the borders of such state, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof. |
| 6.9 | Severability. In the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that any provision, or any portion thereof, contained in this Agreement shall be unreasonable or unenforceable in any respect, then such provision shall be deemed limited to the extent that such court deems it reasonable and enforceable, and as so limited shall remain in full force and effect. In the event that such court shall deem any such provision, or portion thereof, wholly unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. |
| 6.10 | No Waiver of Rights, Powers and Remedies. No failure or delay by a party hereto in exercising any right, power or remedy under this Agreement, and no course of dealing between the parties hereto, shall operate as a waiver of any such right, power or remedy of such party. No single or partial exercise of any right, power or remedy under this Agreement by a party hereto, nor any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce any such right, power or remedy, shall preclude such party from any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy hereunder. The election of any remedy by a party hereto shall not constitute a waiver of the right of such party to pursue other available remedies. No notice to or demand on a party not expressly required under this Agreement shall entitle the party receiving such notice or demand to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances or constitute a waiver of the rights of the party giving such notice or demand to any other or further action in any circumstances without such notice or demand. |
| 6.11 | Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made by the parties hereto in this Agreement or in any other agreement, certificate or instrument provided for or contemplated hereby, shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and any investigations made by or on behalf of the parties. |
| 6.12 | No Broker or Finder. Each of the parties hereto represents and warrants to the other that no broker, finder or other financial consultant has acted on its behalf in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in such a way as to create any liability on the other. Each of the parties hereto agrees to indemnify and save the other harmless from any claim or demand for commission or other compensation by any broker, finder, financial consultant or similar agent claiming to have been employed by or on behalf of such party and to bear the cost of legal expenses incurred in defending against any such claim. |
| 6.13 | Headings and Captions. The headings and captions of the various subdivisions of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall in no way modify or affect the meaning or construction of any of the terms or provisions hereof. |
| 6.14 | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or any other form of electronic delivery, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such signature page were an original thereof. |
| 6.15 | Construction. The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. If an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties hereto and no presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party hereto because of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement. The words “include,” “includes,” and “including” will be deemed to be followed by “without limitation.” Pronouns in masculine, feminine, and neuter genders will be construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular form will be construed to include the plural and vice versa, unless the context otherwise requires. The words “this Agreement,” “herein,” “hereof,” “hereby,” “hereunder,” and words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so limited. The parties hereto intend that each representation, warranty, and covenant contained herein will have independent significance. If any party hereto has breached any representation, warranty, or covenant contained herein in any respect, the fact that there exists another representation, warranty or covenant relating to the same subject matter (regardless of the relative levels of specificity) which such party hereto has not breached will not detract from or mitigate the fact that such party hereto is in breach of the first representation, warranty, or covenant. |
| 6.16 | Mutual Drafting. This Agreement is the joint product of the Subscriber and the Company and each provision hereof has been subject to the mutual consultation, negotiation and agreement of such parties and shall not be construed for or against any party hereto. |
| 7. | Voting and Tender of Shares. Subscriber agrees to vote the Shares in favor of an initial business combination that the Company negotiates and submits for approval to the Company’s stockholders and shall not seek redemption with respect to such Shares. Additionally, the Subscriber agrees not to tender any Shares in connection with a tender offer presented to the Company’s stockholders in connection with an initial business combination negotiated by the Company. |
| 8. | Indemnification. Each party shall indemnify the other against any loss, cost or damages (including reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses) incurred as a result of such party’s breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement in this Agreement. |
[Signature Page Follows]
If the foregoing accurately sets forth our understanding and agreement, please sign the enclosed copy of this Agreement and return it to us.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II | ||
| By: | /s/ Shahraab Ahmad | |
| Name: Shahraab Ahmad | ||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Accepted and agreed as of the date first written above. | ||
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT II LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ Shahraab Ahmad | |
| Name: Shahraab Ahmad | ||
| Title: Manager | ||
[Signature Page to Securities Subscription Agreement]
Exhibit 10.7
THIS PROMISSORY NOTE (“NOTE”) HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”). THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF REGISTRATION OF THE RESALE THEREOF UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN FORM, SCOPE AND SUBSTANCE TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
PROMISSORY NOTE
| Principal Amount: Up to 250,000 | Dated as of October 25, 2021 |
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, a Delaware corporation and blank check company (the “Maker”), promises to pay to the order of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, or its registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Payee”), or order, the principal sum of up to Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) in lawful money of the United States of America, on the terms and conditions described below. All payments on this Note shall be made by check or wire transfer of immediately available funds or as otherwise determined by the Maker to such account as the Payee may from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with the provisions of this Note.
1. Principal. The principal balance of this Note shall be payable by the Maker on the earlier of: (i) April 30, 2022 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an initial public offering of its securities (the “IPO”). The principal balance may be prepaid at any time. Under no circumstances shall any individual, including but not limited to any officer, director, employee or shareholder of the Maker, be obligated personally for any obligations or liabilities of the Maker hereunder.
2. Interest. No interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
3. Drawdown Requests. Maker and Payee agree that Maker may request up to Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) for costs reasonably related to the IPO, (which amount shall include the $50,000 funded to date by the Payee or its affiliates). The principal of this Note may be drawn down from time to time prior to the earlier of: (i) April 30, 2022 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates the IPO, upon written request from Maker to Payee (each, a “Drawdown Request”). Each Drawdown Request must state the amount to be drawn down, and must not be an amount less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) unless agreed upon by Maker and Payee. Payee shall fund each Drawdown Request no later than five (5) business days after receipt of a Drawdown Request; provided, however, that the maximum amount of drawdowns collectively under this Note is Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000). Once an amount is drawn down under this Note, it shall not be available for future Drawdown Requests even if prepaid. No fees, payments or other amounts shall be due to Payee in connection with, or as a result of, any Drawdown Request by Maker. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all payments shall be applied first to payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum due under this Note, including (without limitation) reasonable attorneys’ fees, and then to the reduction of the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
4. Application of Payments. All payments shall be applied first to payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum due under this Note, including (without limitation) reasonable attorney’s fees, then to the payment in full of any late charges and finally to the reduction of the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
5. Events of Default. The following shall constitute an event of default (“Event of Default”):
(a) Failure to Make Required Payments. Failure by Maker to pay the principal amount due pursuant to this Note within five (5) business days of the date specified above.
(b) Voluntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The commencement by Maker of a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, rehabilitation or other similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the failure of Maker generally to pay its debts as such debts become due, or the taking of corporate action by Maker in furtherance of any of the foregoing.
(c) Involuntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having jurisdiction in the premises in respect of Maker in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days.
6. Remedies.
(a) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Section 5(a) hereof, Payee may, by written notice to Maker, declare this Note to be due immediately and payable, whereupon the unpaid principal amount of this Note, and all other amounts payable hereunder, shall become immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived, anything contained herein or in the documents evidencing the same to the contrary notwithstanding.
(b) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Sections 5(b) and 5(c), the unpaid principal balance of this Note, and all other sums payable with regard to this Note, shall automatically and immediately become due and payable, in all cases without any action on the part of Payee.
7. Waivers. Maker and all endorsers and guarantors of, and sureties for, this Note waive presentment for payment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest, and notice of protest with regard to the Note, all errors, defects and imperfections in any proceedings instituted by Payee under the terms of this Note, and all benefits that might accrue to Maker by virtue of any present or future laws exempting any property, real or personal, or any part of the proceeds arising from any sale of any such property, from attachment, levy or sale under execution, or providing for any stay of execution, exemption from civil process, or extension of time for payment; and Maker agrees that any real estate that may be levied upon pursuant to a judgment obtained by virtue hereof or any writ of execution issued hereon, may be sold upon any such writ in whole or in part in any order desired by Payee.
8. Unconditional Liability. Maker hereby waives all notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default, or enforcement of the payment of this Note, and agrees that its liability shall be unconditional, without regard to the liability of any other party, and shall not be affected in any manner by any indulgence, extension of time, renewal, waiver or modification granted or consented to by Payee, and consents to any and all extensions of time, renewals, waivers, or modifications that may be granted by Payee with respect to the payment or other provisions of this Note, and agrees that additional makers, endorsers, guarantors, or sureties may become parties hereto without notice to Maker or affecting Maker’s liability hereunder.
9. Notices. All notices, statements or other documents which are required or contemplated by this Note shall be made in writing and delivered: (i) personally or sent by first class registered or certified mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii) by facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by such party or (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail address most recently provided to such party or such other electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic transmission, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by mail.
10. Construction. THIS NOTE SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF.
11. Severability. Any provision contained in this Note which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.
12. Trust Waiver. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Payee hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in or to any distribution of or from the trust account to be established in which the proceeds of the IPO to be conducted by the Maker (including the deferred underwriters discounts and commissions) and the proceeds of the sale of the securities to be issued in a private placement to occur prior to the closing of the IPO are to be deposited, as described in greater detail in the registration statement and prospectus to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the IPO, and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the trust account for any reason whatsoever.
13. Amendment; Waiver. Any amendment hereto or waiver of any provision hereof may be made with, and only with, the written consent of the Maker and the Payee.
14. Assignment. No assignment or transfer of this Note or any rights or obligations hereunder may be made by any party hereto (by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other party hereto and any attempted assignment without the required consent shall be void.
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Maker, intending to be legally bound hereby, has caused this Note to be duly executed by the undersigned as of the day and year first above written.
| ATLANTIC COASTAL ACQUISITION CORP. II | ||
| By: | /s/ Shahraab Ahmad | |
| Name: Shahraab Ahmad | ||
| Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||
EXHIBIT 23.1
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM’S CONSENT
We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) on Form S-1 of our report dated December 2, 2021, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, with respect to our audit of the financial statements of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II as of October 25, 2021 and for the period from May 20, 2021 (inception) through October 25, 2021, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
December 2, 2021
Tampa, FL
Exhibit 99.3
CONSENT TO BE NAMED AS A DIRECTOR NOMINEE
In connection with the filing by Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), I hereby consent, pursuant to Rule 438 of the Securities Act, to being named as a nominee to the board of directors of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II in the Registration Statement and any and all amendments and supplements thereto. I also consent to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments thereto.
| Dated: December 1, 2021 | /s/ Joanna Lord | |||||
| Joanna Lord |
Exhibit 99.4
CONSENT TO BE NAMED AS A DIRECTOR NOMINEE
In connection with the filing by Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), I hereby consent, pursuant to Rule 438 of the Securities Act, to being named as a nominee to the board of directors of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II in the Registration Statement and any and all amendments and supplements thereto. I also consent to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments thereto.
| Dated: December 1, 2021 | /s/ Bryan Dove | |||||
| Bryan Dove |
Exhibit 99.5
CONSENT TO BE NAMED AS A DIRECTOR NOMINEE
In connection with the filing by Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), I hereby consent, pursuant to Rule 438 of the Securities Act, to being named as a nominee to the board of directors of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II in the Registration Statement and any and all amendments and supplements thereto. I also consent to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments thereto.
| Dated: December 1, 2021 | /s/ Iqbaljit Kahlon | |||||
| Iqbaljit Kahlon |
Exhibit 99.6
CONSENT TO BE NAMED AS A DIRECTOR NOMINEE
In connection with the filing by Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), I hereby consent, pursuant to Rule 438 of the Securities Act, to being named as a nominee to the board of directors of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II in the Registration Statement and any and all amendments and supplements thereto. I also consent to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments thereto.
| Dated: December 1, 2021 | /s/ Darren Stanwood | |||||
| Darren Stanwood |
Exhibit 99.7
CONSENT TO BE NAMED AS A DIRECTOR NOMINEE
In connection with the filing by Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), I hereby consent, pursuant to Rule 438 of the Securities Act, to being named as a nominee to the board of directors of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II in the Registration Statement and any and all amendments and supplements thereto. I also consent to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments thereto.
| Dated: December 1, 2021 | /s/ Dominick J. Schiano | |||||
| Dominick J. Schiano |